MANAMA: Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister, High Elections Committee President Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al-Khalifa at the close of the polling in runoff elections in Bahrain applauded the holding of parliamentary and municipal elections in fair, free and impartial manners.
He said that there was no reason to cast doubts about the electioneering process in Bahrain which have been closely monitored by judiciary and civil society members.
The Minister, who was joined by the Minister of State for Information Affairs and Government’s Official Spokesperson Sameera Ebrahim bin Rajab and Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission President, Elections 2014 Executive Director Abdulla bin Hassan Al-Bouainain, said that Bahrainis have proved their patriotic mettle and turned out massively to cast their ballots in the parliamentary and municipal run-off elections. The Minister paid tribute to Bahrainis for their massive participation to push the democratic march forward.
“The people of Bahrain are able to rise to the challenge, defy those who defy them and stand united”, he said, describing the 2014 polls as being a striking success. He was addressing a press conference, in the presence of.
The minister hailed the massive participation in the run-off, pointing out the voter turn-out reached 52.6% in the first round.
He extended congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and the people of Bahrain for the success of the 2014 parliamentary and municipal elections. He hailed Bahraini voters for their massive participation and active presence, proving the will to continue the march of reform and democracy.
He underlined the competition between independent candidates, political societies and women candidates, pointing out the role of the judiciary and nongovernmental associations in supervising the elections process.
He extended thanks to citizens who cast their ballots in the 2014 polls and contributed to drawing up Bahrain’s political map for the coming four years. “Those who want to engage in political life have to do so through the parliament and the constitutional entities”, he said.
The Minister paid tribute to the Ministries of Interior and Education as well as the Information Affairs Authority, the members of the High Election Committee, the supervisory committee and ballot counting panels. He warned that those who question the results of the polls would be held accountable. “No one can cast doubts on the work of judges”, he said, affirming the transparency of the polls as recognized by the whole world.
“The figures we have are genuine and all people have witnessed the massive participation and transparent ballot counting”, he said. Reacting to reporters’ questions, he said that dialogue would be held under the dome rather than outside the parliament, stressing the importance for every citizen to be represented in the parliament and not in the street. Citing update figures, he said that five complaints challenging the elections results have been settled while nine others are still pending. He announced that legal action would be taken against the exploitation of children to circumvent the electoral silence, which is considered an electoral crime.
The Minister affirmed Bahrain’s commitment to the international covenants, stressing the right of each citizen to rally on the condition that he abides by the law, heeds others’ rights and notifies the official authorities.
“We assess the electoral process continuously, based on compiled remarks, so as to avert any negative aspects and loopholes in future elections”, he said, pointing out that Bahrainis were decisive as they voted massively in the 2014 polls and chose their options.