Muharraq's First Constituency Election: A Tight Race Heads to a Runoff

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Email: editor@newsofbahrain.com

The race for the First Constituency seat in Muharraq is set for a nail-biting finish, with a runoff election scheduled for Saturday, September 14th. The Election Executive Administration announced the runoff, pitting Ebrahim Al Shaikh against Abdulwahed Qarata, on its online platforms. Overseas voters will cast their ballots starting tomorrow, Tuesday.

Both candidates have confirmed they are ready to hit the campaign trail again, with activities resuming today (Monday). While yesterday (Sunday) saw no visible campaigning, both Al Shaikh and Qarata have promised rallies in the coming days.

Our sister newspaper reached out to all five candidates who participated in the first round, inquiring about their stance in the runoff. Most remained tight-lipped, stating they haven't decided who to endorse. However, a surprise came from Saleh Al Sada, who announced his support for Qarata in a video released early today. Qarata, in turn, expressed his gratitude for the endorsement on his social media.

The outcome of the runoff will hinge heavily on the votes cast for the three candidates who were eliminated in the first round: former MP Hamad Al Kooheji, Al Sada, and Khawla Al Shamsi. These candidates collectively garnered around 41% of the vote, with Al Kooheji's 20.2% coming in a close second to Qarata. Al Sada and Al Shamsi secured 10.8% and 10.4% respectively.

Al Shaikh emerged as the frontrunner in the first round, securing 30.7% of the votes. Qarata followed with 22.3%, making it a close race. Despite Al Shaikh's lead, he needs to secure the support of voters who backed the other candidates to guarantee victory in the runoff.

Despite this being his first foray into electoral politics, Qarata has proven himself to be a formidable contender, securing a spot in the runoff with 1516 votes.

Al Koheeji saw a boost in popularity compared to the 2022 elections, where he received 1078 votes. In this supplementary election, he garnered 1368 votes, a significant increase of approximately 290 votes.

The race for Muharraq's First Constituency is now down to the wire, with the runoff election promising to be a close contest.