----- Original Message ----- From: mujtaba Adam Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 9:30 AM Subject: Bahrain gets Islamist-dominated parliament
Sunni Islamists made gains in the second round of Bahrain s legislative polls as the Shiite opposition boosted earlier wins, giving the Gulf state an Islamist-dominated parliament, results showed Sunday. Saturday s second round ended with Islamists controlling 30 of parliament s 40 seats in a country considered liberal by the standards of the conservative Gulf region, and whose government is a close US ally and hosts the US Navy s Fifth Fleet. But while Sunni Islamists are supporters of the government, the main political formation of the Shiite majority in Sunni-ruled Bahrain which had boycotted the last elections in 2002 made a spectacular entry into parliament on an opposition platform. The Islamic National Accord Association (INAA) headed by charismatic Shiite cleric Sheikh Ali Salman grabbed 16 seats in the first round of the elections on November 25. On Saturday, the INAA won the 17th seat it had been certain to take in a constituency where two of its members faced off as independents, according to results announced on state television early Sunday. The Sunni National Islamic Tribune Association, which represents the Muslim Brotherhood, clinched three mandates in the second round to regain the share of seven seats it held in the outgoing parliament. Its Salafi ally, the Assala (Authenticity) Association, gained one more seat Saturday to claim a total of five mandates. The two groups can count on the support of an independent Salafi who also emerged victorious on Saturday, giving them a 13-strong bloc in the house. The Sunni Islamists victories came mostly at the expense of liberals, only one of whom managed to enter parliament. All three candidates of the National Democratic Action Association (NDAA), a leftist liberal opposition group which allied itself with the Shiite INAA, were trounced by Islamist or Islamist-backed candidates. An independent candidate close to the NDAA defeated an independent businessman to take one of the 11 seats that were up for grabs on Saturday. The rest of the new parliament will be made up of independents close to either the government or the Sunni Islamists. Election spokeswoman Ahdiyah Ahmad told AFP that voter turnout was 69 percent in the second round, compared to 73 percent in the first. Turnout in the second round of municipal polls which also took place on Saturday was 61 percent, she said. None of the 16 women among the 206 parliamentary candidates won or even made it to the second round, but women will have one seat in the new house held by Latifa al-Qouhoud, who stood unopposed in her constituency and became the first female lawmaker in Bahrain s history. The elected chamber will have to coexist with an upper chamber appointed by King Hamad, and share its legislative powers, an arrangement which prompted the Shiite-led opposition to boycott the 2002 polls, the first since the elected parliament was scrapped in 1975. Opposition groups continue to object to the legislative powers granted to the appointed consultative council, which also has 40 members. But analysts say the Shiite INAA will initially tread cautiously in order to reassure Sunnis and promote dialogue with the regime. One of the new INAA lawmakers said the group would not immediately raise "explosive issues liable to create tensions with the government," focusing instead on citizens pressing needs. The success of the Shiite opposition, which wants an end to perceived discrimination against the Shiite majority, comes against the background of the Shiite rise to dominance in Iraq and Shiite Iran s defiance of Western demands over its nuclear ambitions. A senior official meanwhile told AFP that a new cabinet would be unveiled on Monday and would include a technocrat close to the INAA who would get the trade and industry portfolio. Some three incumbent ministers will be dropped from the new line-up and four new faces brought in, the official said, requesting anonymity. The new cabinet, which will be headed by Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who has been prime minister since independence in 1971, will take the oath of office before King Hamad on Tuesday. The Bahraini monarch is due to open the first session of the new parliament on December 14. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
