Voters thanked for poll success

The Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Election Integrity, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, praised the turnout in the second round of the parliamentary and municipal elections, stressing the lack of religious fatwas (edicts) that could have limited eligible voter’s choices.

The minister was speaking at a press conference, with the participation of the Executive Director of Elections Nawaf Hamza, following the sealing of the ballots boxes in the various polling stations where voters cast their ballots from 8 am until 8 pm. The minister pointed out to the strong competition in the various constituencies where run-offs were held. “Bahrain is living a new chapter in democratic development.

The electoral process is moving beyond the stage of experience, in addition to the fact that it is a patriotic duty and a personal motivation from the general public,” Shaikh Khalid said. The minister pointed to the strong competition among the candidates that included a high number of candidates and the impressive turnout of voters who were keen on assuming their patriotic duties. Shaikh Khalid added that the 2018 elections witnessed a major change in the general trends, where the voter became the top focus of the process, in terms of the evaluation of the candidate and the greater attention to the criteria of competence in order to choose the aptest candidate.

“Such trends were clear and through the media and social networking sites,” he said. Shaikh Khalid said there were three advantages to the current elections.