A day to celebrate democratic strides

Increased participation by youth and women makes this year’s election a special one. In the 2014 elections, three women won their constituencies. According to electoral committee, there is high anticipation that women will be successful in their attempts, thanks to greater awareness among voters and more energetic appreciation of what women can achieve in the parliament.

The percentage of young people running for office is getting increasingly higher, prompting His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee President, to praise the vitality of young Bahrainis and to laud their dedication to serving the kingdom through elected offices.

“The high number of young candidates reflects the vitality of Bahrain’s youth, their patriotism and their earnest desire to work through the legislature to build the future,” he said. “Our young people are always keen to interact on national issues. It is time to see young talents under the dome of parliament, contributing to legislation and monitoring and serving the nation as representatives of the people.” The elections on Saturday will again pit independent candidates against contestants affiliated to various political societies that hope to improve their low 2014 scores.

Political societies had some edge in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 elections, but overwhelmingly lost in the 2014 polls as voters believed independent lawmakers had more room for swifter action that does not need the consensus of the whole society. Tribune spoke to senior government officials and prominent citizens about the significance of 2018 elections in the Kingdom’s democratic journey. Justice Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa said he remained optimistic about the results of elections.

“I am sure that Bahrainis are going forward in building a bright future for the country. We look forward to successful elections. We are not going to be influencing the elections in any way, our role will be to facilitate the opportunity for the people to vote and make sure that there are not any violations.” Information Minister Ali Al Rumaihi said the elections will have 100 per cent media coverage. “There are a huge number of journalists registered this year. We see positive indicators. Media is a reflection of reality so we expect that the elections will be covered in a way that would reflect how the elections are, we have not seen any negative reports except one or two that have used unreliable sources.”

Assistant Foreign Minister Abdulla Al Doseri asserted that the elections are a sign of a positive outlook to show the progress of democratisation in the Kingdom. “We had an amazing response at our 29 embassies around the world where overseas Bahrainis came forward to exercise their rights. “We are extremely positive on the the outlook and heading towards democratisation and practising the freedom that is given to us by Royal Family.”

Khalid Al Maskati, Chairman of Financial and Economic Committee at Shura Council said, “With the election, we are looking at all citizens coming together to exercise their rights. This is a continuation of the rights given to us by His Majesty King Hamad with a referendum.” Political and social analyst Akbar Jaffari said the Kingdom is all set for a very-well established political environment. “We have to pave the way for future generation to enjoy better democracy.”

Akram Miknas, leading businessman, founder and chairman of Promoseven said the democracy in the Kingdom is on the right track. Mr Miknas added that in the past religious figures took advantage of the democratisation process for personal agendas. “Today our democracy is taking its shape and we are progressing on all levels. The process is becoming more mature and serving the country in a positive manner.