Nation goes to polls

Bahraini citizens will cast their ballots today to elect the 40 MPs and 30 municipal councilors who will represent them for the next four years. The quadrennial elections will be held for the fifth time without interruption since 2002, the year of the promulgation of the Constitution that gave women the right to vote and run in offices.

The constitutional changes and the political empowerment of women were among the numerous positive changes promoted by the reform process launched by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa soon after he acceded to power in March 1999 and called for the drafting of the National Action Charter.

Elections of MPs and municipal councilors took place in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. More than 365,000 Bahraini men and women are eligible to cast their ballots to choose from the 293 candidates who are running for parliament seats. The number of people who initially signed up their names was higher, but following the application of the electoral rules, some were ruled out for not fulfilling the requirements set by the commission in charge of the elections.

The figure remains the highest in the five elections, indicating the growing commitment of the people of Bahrain to the success of the election as a fine practice of genuine democracy. Women also set their own record this year, scoring the highest number of applications ever. While the number of women who competed for parliamentary seats in 2014 was 22, it went up to 47 this year, before some candidates withdrew from the race.

The figure is also another indication of the strong determination and character of Bahraini women who want to build on their previous successes and show once more that they are partners with men in the challenging yet rewarding nation-building process. Hala Al Ansari, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), the top advocate of women’s rights and champion of their empowerment in Bahrain, epitomized the aspirations of Bahraini women.