5 More Seats for MB Alliance in Bahraini Runoff

The results of the runoff of the Bahraini Municipal and Legislative elections confirmed the lead that the Islamic movement achieved in the first round of the vote; the results declared- on Sunday 3rd Decembers, by the Bahraini Justice Minister, Mohamed Ali Al Satri showed that the National Islamic Al-Menbar society (Muslim Brotherhood) garnered three more seats in parliament, while its partner in the alliance Islamic Asala society garnered two more seats.


Also, the results showed the win of candidate Abdul Aziz Abel who is bcked by the Shiite Al-Wefaq national Islamic society; also, the runoff witnessed the defeat of Al-Wefaq’s candidate, Mahdi Abu Dib, and the loss of the Islamist independent candidate Salah Al Gawder, in addition to the defeat of the two candidates of the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’d) Ibrahim Sherif and Samy Siyaadi .


With these results, the National Islamic Al-Wefaq society leads the parliamentary powers with 17 seats while Abdul Aziz Abel is expected to join it; the alliance of the national Islamic Al-Menbar society and Asala Islamic society is second seeded after garnering 12 seats, while the independent candidate grabbed 10 seats, thus ending the election of the 40-seat parliament; the Bahraini outgoing government is expected to present its resignation within weeks to give the opportunity to a new government which is expected to include 8 new ministers.
 
The elections took place smoothly without any reports about clashes between supporters of candidates or any wide-scale violations of the rules of voting, although the coming days are expected to witness chaos, due to the tense airs that the last days witnessed before starting the elections last 25 November, and due to the results that gave a parliamentarian lead to the Islamic movement- both Sunnis and Shiites- whose candidates got 30 seats in the 40-seat legislative house.


The most prominent political powers that participated in the elections include the national Islamic Al-Menbar society (the chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood in Bahrain) led by Dr. Salah Ali; the main target of its program is a comprehensive reform, especially in the political field, in addition to fighting the financial and administrative corruption and restoring values to the Bahraini society .


There is also the Islamic Aslal society which formed an alliance with Al-Menbaar society; Asala represents the Salafist movement and is considered the political representative of the Islamic Education Society.


There is also the national Islamic Al-Wefaq society- the biggest Shiite formation in the country, whose most prominent political demand is activating the parliamentary life, and pressing for a political participation for the Shiites is in the country .


For his part, Dr. Salah Ali- the chairman of the Islamic Al-Menbar bloc told Ikhwanweb that:” These elections gave two important results: that the Bahraini people back the Islamic movement and they back also the reformist movement and democratization.


Ali added that we- in the National Al Menbar bloc- will work for implementing our election program according to which we were elected, to maintain the agenda of services and achievements that we adopted and presented in the previous term.


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