Bahrain election campaign in full swing as final list goes on display

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Zahra Ayaz

The election campaign has entered full swing as the final listing of candidates competing in the parliament and municipal elections was ready last evening.

Campaign billboards have popped up in every nook and corner of the country, welcoming the final phase of the grand electoral campaign season.

Under the patronage of former House speaker Khalifa Al Dhahrani, Abdullah Al Dossari, the candidate from the First Constituency of the Southern Governorate inaugurated his electoral headquarters.

He said, if elected, he would focus on major problems faced by the commoners including unemployment, lack of basic facilities and issues related to the education sector.

He thanked his supporters for backing him, expressing hope of making it through the grand democratic process.

The fundamental difference compared to the previous elections was the active dependence on all social media platforms by all candidates to highlight their accomplishments and credentials in bid to win the voters’ confidence.

“Almost all candidates this time have social media teams, which was not the case last year,” a campaign staff for one of the parliamentary candidates, said, adding that social media will be a major decider in the upcoming elections.”

The electoral supervisory committee earlier warned candidates against mudslinging and tarnishing each other’s personal image for the sake of electoral victory.

“Such activities will be seen as a grave violation and the candidates if proven guilty will face consequences,” the warning said.

The last week was filled with many shocks and surprises as many high-profile candidates lost their electoral appeals filed before the judiciary.