2011 Bahraini parliamentary by-elections

Eighteen parliamentary by-elections were held in Bahrain in 2011 following the resignation of 18 MPs from the largest political party in parliament, Al Wefaq, in protest at governmental actions during the Bahraini uprising.[2][3] Security forces closed Pearl Roundabout and attacked protestors in the village of Sanabis.[3] The elections were held using a two-round system, with the first round on 24 September and the second on 1 October 2011 in the constituencies where no candidate had received a majority of the vote in the first round.

2011 Bahraini parliamentary by-elections

24 September 2011 (2011-09-24)
18 lower house seats vacated during the Bahraini uprising
Turnout	17.4%[1]
Prime Minister before election Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Elected Prime Minister Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa

Background

The lower house of parliament has the authority to pass legislation proposed by the sovereign or the governing cabinet, as well as monitoring authority. The upper, unelected Consultative Council has the power to block legislation from the lower house.[4][5] The minority Sunni Al-Khalifa dynasty has ruled the majority Shia country since 1783.[5] The Bahraini uprising started in early 2011, with massive protests, occupation of the Pearl Roundabout, arrests and other responses by police, destruction of the Pearl Roundabout, and entry of the Peninsula Shield Force to Bahrain. MPs from Al Wefaq, the largest party in parliament, resigned their seats in protest against the government's responses.[2]

Conduct

On Friday 23 September, dozens of people were arrested and some were badly beaten.[3] Nabeel Rajab of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights reported that 38 women were detained for a 45-day period.[3]

On election day, 24 September, hundreds to thousands of protestors gathered in the village of Sanabis with the intention of marching to the Pearl Roundabout, which had been physically occupied by protestors during the Bahraini uprising and whose monument had been destroyed by the authorities in response. Security forces used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets against the protestors.[3]

Graffiti near a voting station stated "Down with Hamad" and "The people want to bring down the regime".[2]

Results

All of the new winners were independent candidates, unofficially regarded as being pro-Al Khalifa, as they ignored the opposition boycott. Three women were among the new winners. Four seats were won uncontested,[2] five seats were won after voting in the first round of the elections, while the remaining nine were decided by a second round of voting.

Voter turnout was 17.4% for the 14 contested districts due to a boycott by Al Wefaq and the rest of the opposition.[1] The government however claimed a turnout of 51%, which was calculated over all 40 electoral districts, including districts where there was no contest in 2011. For the 22 uncontested districts whose MP did not withdraw from parliament, the government used turnout figures from the 2010 election. For districts among these 22 that were uncontested in 2010, the government assumed 100% turnout. For the four uncontested districts whose MP withdrew from parliament, the government also assumed 100% turnout.[6]

Winners of 2011 Bahraini parliamentary by-elections

Governorate	District	Candidate	Party		First round		Second round
					Votes	%	Votes	%
Capital	2	Ahmed Qarata		Independent	793	53.3
	3	Ibtisam Abdulrahman Ahmed		Independent	259	39.3	366	54.0
	4	Ali Shamtoot		Independent	105	36.3	148	56.5
	5	Hassan Bukhammas		Independent	499	71.8
	7	Abdulhakeem Al Shemri		Independent	1,121	60.4
	8	Jamal Abdullah		Independent	390	49.1	430	69.4
Muharraq	6	Abbas Ali Maadhi		Independent	Elected unopposed
Northern	1	Ali Hassan Ali		Independent	538	42.7	831	65.3
	2	Sawsan Taqawi		Independent	Elected unopposed
	3	Ali Al Dirazi		Independent	Elected unopposed
	5	Salman Hamad Al Shaikh		Independent	460	53.4
	7	Khalid Al Malood		Independent	1,785	45.2	2,018	57.1
	8	Mohammed Bu Qais		Independent	2,340	41.6	2,999	55.3
	9	Khalid Abdulaal		Independent	335	51.2
Central	1	Samia Al Jowder		Independent	1,125	26.4	1,725	51.0
	2	Ahmed Al Saati		Independent	599	41.6	595	57.4
	5	Osama Mihna		Independent	481	46.6	443	51.5
	6	Jawad Hassan		Independent	Elected unopposed
Source: Alwasat Newspaper & Gulf Daily News

References

1. Hammond, Andrew (25 September 2011). "UPDATE 1-Fewer than 1 in 5 vote in Bahrain by-elections". Reuters.
2. "Bahrain holds vote to fill seats vacated during unrest". Al-Ahram/Thomson Reuters. 2011-09-24. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
3. Bronner, Ethan (2011-09-24). "Bahrain Vote Erupts in Violence". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
4. "Bahrain's Opposition INAA Wins 18 Seats in Parliament," Al-Manar TV, 24/10/2010 Accessed 23/12/2010.
5. "Bahrainis Vote for New Parliament amid Political Tensions," Al-Manar TV website, 23/10/2010. Accessed 23/12/2010.
6. Al A'ali, Mohammed (25 September 2011). "Thousands defy threats and flock to the polls". Gulf Daily News.