Definitive guide to Bahrain’s parliamentary elections

1^st Muharraq

(Busaiteen)

Registered voters: 8,071

Al-Moawdah takes on Al-Minbar

Sunni Islamist parties have traditionally done well in this constituency. So predictably we find pro-Muslim Brotherhood Al-Minbar al-Islami competing against a former member of the Salafist Al-Asalah society; incumbent MP Adel al-Moawdah. Al-Moawdah is a prominent figure and will be a tough candidate to beat.

However, many of the independent candidates have cited the decline in support of Bahraini voters for established political groupings, so they will be hoping that this occurs in practice.

Al-Watan, the moderate and more-secular political society, has put forward the female candidate Mariam al-Jowder, but she will have a tough battle to fight to get a significant share of the vote. We can expect this to be a hard-fought contest and go to a second round.

Adel al-Moawdah – formerly Asalah Incumbent

Adel al-Moawdah was a prominent member of the Salafist Al-Asalah Society, before leaving the organization. He won his seat in the 2010 elections and is now standing for the first time as an independent.

Al-Moawdah stressed the need for people of “high skills” in the coming Parliament, for “promoting growth and solving the existing challenges”. He stressed the issues of unemployment, and services for the elderly.

Dr. Saadi Mohammed – Minbar

Dr. Saadi won a parliamentary seat in 2002. Saadi – who represents Al-Minbar al-Islami Society – stressed his good relationship with his opponent Adel al-Moawdah, noting that there had been attempts for a unified candidacy, although Al-Moawdah is no longer a member of Al-Asalah.

Ali Bufursan

Bufursan told Al-Watan newspaper that “people’s aspirations are focused on improving standards of living and the housing issue. Therefore, they didn’t sense any important accomplishments from the previous Parliament in these matters”.

Bufursan has emphasized the importance of support for agriculture and fishing. He complained that fishermen in the Busaiteen area lacked any kind of support, during comments to Al-Ayam.

Ahmed Aqqab

Aqqab submitted his registration at the last minute after withdrawing his application to contest as a municipal councilor and deciding to contest for Parliament. He stressed the importance of close ties with the local people and cited priority issues such as standards of living, wages, corruption and housing.

Dr. Ahmed al-Obaidli

Dr Al-Obaidli – a human resources consultant – says he will prioritize educational issues. He advocates establishing institutes for vocational education and a general educational strategy for improving standards across Bahrain’s teaching institutions.

Thani Rashidan

Rashidan stressed the need for greater attention given to Bahrain’s democratic reputation around the world, which he said would require close cooperation between the elected deputies.

Yahya al-Majdami

Mohammed al-Qalalif

Mohammed al-Hussaini

Ahmed Ashir

2^nd Muharraq

(Muharraq central)

Registered voters: 7,563

Can the NUG gain their first seat in Muharraq?

This constituency lies in the densely-populated central town of Muharraq and in geographical size is one of the smallest constituencies in Bahrain. This area has tended to favour Sunni Islamist candidates.

Alongside a representative for the Sunni-loyalist National Unity Gathering, there are numerous independent candidates in this constituency who again will be depending on a decline in support for political societies.

Salim Rajab – NUG

Rajab argues that his National Unity Gathering list – which has never held parliamentary seats before – should be given a chance by the public. He said that other political societies had failed to capitalize on their parliamentary seats to improve the lives of citizens.

Abdulrahman Bin-Zaiman

Former headmaster Bin-Zaiman says he decided to compete after the withdrawal of the prominent candidate Ali Ahmed. He cites a particular interest in fighting corruption. It appears that Bin-Zaiman, a member of Al-Mithaq, had been touted to compete on a list as part of the Al-Fateh Coalition. However, he eventually registered as an independent.

Wahid al-Dossary

Al-Dosary is a prominent figure in his local Muharraq community. He recently chaired a seminar warning of the dangers of rumor-mongering during the election period. Al-Dossary has also recently been outspoken in condemning “terrorist attacks against government schools”. Al-Dossary stressed the importance of greater efforts by the authorities to crack down on “terrorism”. Al-Dossary is the honorary president of the Fishermen’s Society.

Khalid al-Hashim

Al-Hashim says that he has promised local people that he will do all he can to promote reforms. Among his priorities, he mentioned housing, unemployment, care for children and the elderly and setting up facilities for young people. His candidacy slogan is “efforts, not promises”.

Ibrahim al-Hamadi

Abdulmunim al-Eid

Ahmed al-Jowder

Khalid Bu-Jiri

Mohammed al-Buainain

3^rd Muharraq

(Muharraq central, Qalali)

Registered voters: 7,563

Al-Wasat takes on Al-Asalah

The Secretary-General of the Al-Wasat Society – Ahmed Binali – is a prominent face in this contest. Al-Wasat froze their inclusion within the Al-Fateh Coalition during lengthy and tense negotiations prior to the elections in which Al-Fateh ultimately failed to put forward a unified electoral list.

Al-Binali is up against several strong independent candidates and head of the Municipal Council Abdulnasir al-Mahmeed. Al-Mahmeed is a representative of the Salafist Al-Asalah Society, which from the outset refused to coordinate its election campaign with Al-Fateh.

Ahmed Sanad al-Binali – Al-Wasat Secretary-General

Al-Binali caused controversy when he suspended the membership of his society, Al-Wasat, to the Al-Fateh Coalition late in the unsuccessful negotiations to try and adopt a unified list. Al-Binali says that his society “aspires for the middle-ground and places the responsibility on the Bahraini citizen for choosing the best candidate, based on moderation”.

Al-Binali noted that Al-Wasat’s relations with other members of the Al-Fateh Coalition remained strong, pointing out that Al-Fateh had not included an additional candidate to stand against him in 3^rd Muharraq (Al-Asalah remains outside Al-Fateh). Al-Binali jold journalists he believed that he had a 50% chance of winning the vote.

Abdulnasir al-Mahmeed – Asalah

Al-Mahmeed – who represents the Salafi Asalah Society – has served for two terms as a Muharraq municipal councilor. For the second term he was the head of the Municipal Council.

Jamal Ali Buhassan

Buhassan in comments to Al-Ayam noted the poor performance of political societies in previous rounds of elections, stating his hope that he would perform well among other independents.

Mohammed Murad

Businessman Murad stressed his commitment to encouraging greater public participation to encourage reform and progress, while avoiding sectarian divisions. In comments to Al-Watan, Murad emphasized the importance of strengthening public awareness about the role of parliamentary deputies, particularly in the area of drafting legislation and oversight of the work of government.

Mohammed al-Mutawwa

Al-Mutawwa – a municipal councilor for eight years – went to court after the constituency boundary changes were announced, with the intention of changing his address to the 1^st Muharraq district. However, the court refused his petition, so he has been compelled to compete in 3^rd Muharraq.

“I observed shortcomings in the legislative process and also in the oversight of this work. Both processes require expertise and attention and greater public participation in issues which concern them”.

“I adopted the slogan ‘together’ (ma’an) for my campaign… we are participants in the whole process. The deputy and the voter are joined by a shared purpose”.

Adel Bu-Anq

Yusuf al-Awadhi

Abdallah Mohammed Saad

Abdulrahman Fakhro

Mohammed Ahmedi

4^th Muharraq

(Muharraq central)

Registered voters: 7,904

Kooheji versus the NUG

The prominent independent incumbent – Isa al-Kooheji – will have to fight off the National Unity Gathering representative, Ambassador Abdullah al-Aynati; and a number of independent rivals.

Isa al-Kooheji – Incumbent

Al-Kooheji: “The political confrontation in its entirety should be brought into the Parliament, in order to represent the voice of the people in the correct manner.”

Al-Kooheji stressed that the role of independents had been clearly proven in past parliamentary performance.

Abdullah al-Aynati – NUG

Ambassador Al-Aynati will compete on the National Unity Gathering list. Al-Aynati said his campaign would prioritize “housing, education and infrastructure”. He told Al-Watan newspaper that he had entered the campaign because of his concern about the challenges the region was facing. He said he felt that he had skills and experience to contribute based on his long service in the diplomatic corps and his political background.

Mohammed al-Murbati

Al-Murbati claimed that since 2006 electoral contests had gone backwards because of the misuse of political funds. He complained about other contestants giving away gifts like air conditioners to potential voters. He stressed the need for more careful elections monitoring.

Mohammed Khayami

Khayami simply told journalists that his campaign platform was the same as the one he’d put forward in 2010, but promised to “wipe out” his rival candidates.

Hamad Abdullah al-Mearaj

*Rima Hassan Halal

Majid al-Atawi

5^th Muharraq

(Northeast Muharraq; Amwaj Islands)

Registered voters: 7,199

Mahmoud al-Mahmoud fighting to retain Al-Amwaj

The independent incumbent Mahmoud al-Mahmoud will be hoping to retain his seat, but he will have to compete against several independents and a National Unity Gathering candidate, Sami al-Shaer.

Lying to the northeast corner of Muharraq, this large constituency has the smallest number of registered voters in the Governorate, although it is one of five Muharraq constituencies with between 7,000 and 8,000 voters. Much of this constituency is built on recently reclaimed land, including the trendy Amwaj islands. As a result, the population is predominantly middle class and cosmopolitan.

Mahmoud al-Mahmoud – Incumbent

Al-Mahmoud: “Those who regard the previous Parliament as weak are wrong. Deputies were able to prevent the downfall [of the Parliament] during the crisis Bahrain has undergone, making this an exceptional assembly.”

Mahmoud was the chairman of the “independents block” in the previous Parliament and deputy chairman for the Financial Committee. Mahmoud told Al-Watan newspaper that the revised constituency borders in Muharraq had resulted in more sensible arrangements and would improve chances for the election of “competent” deputies.

Khalid Saleh Bu-Anq

Bu-Anq, the current municipal councilor for 4^th Muharraq launched a strong attack against the Muharraq Municipality for “targeting the people of Qalali”, claiming that measures had been taken by the Municipality “for pure electoral purposes”. He said that issues relating to agriculture and local businesses had existed for years, “so why had punitive action only been taken now?”

Ibrahim Ali Ahmed Ibrahim

Ibrahim has been critical of the Interior Ministry’s handling of the post 2011 crisis. He promised to promote human rights if his candidacy was successful and strengthening the principles of the 2002 constitution, as well as opposing all those who “incited violence and hatred”.

Ibrahim has a Masters in Diplomatic Studies from Westminster University in the UK. He is a former diplomat and currently works in banking.

Abdulaziz al-Majid

Businessman Al-Majid has criticized the performance of previous parliamentary deputies saying that if MPs had gone about their work with commitment and responsibility then Bahrain by now would have enjoyed “1,000 blessings”.

Jamal Saad

Jamal Saad is the Secretary-General of Qalali Club. He is an independent, but expressed his readiness to work with other groupings. He mentioned education, health and housing as among his priorities.

Mohammed al-Faraj

Mohammed had been tipped to be standing in the 3^rd Muharraq district, before confirming his address as 5^th Muharraq.

Muhammed al-Dakhil

Al-Dakhil: The boundary changes “stir up the stagnant water in the area”. Al-Dakhil emphasized “reform and change” and noted that the competition in the 5^th district was likely to be “hot”.

Mohammed Hassan al-Jowder

Al-Jowder has proposed opening the first academy of its kind in Bahrain for the disabled. He said such support would help the disabled play a greater role in society, which in turn would benefit the national economy.

Al-Jowder stressed the importance of investing in human capital and achieving social justice.

Sami al-Shaer –NUG

6^th Muharraq

(Dair & Samaheej)

Registered voters: 7,762

How will Muharraq’s Shia-majority communities choose to vote?

Prior to 2011 this district had been held by Al-Wefaq, before being won by an independent candidate Abbas al-Madhi in the by-election that year. The significant opposition population which may in part decide to boycott makes the direction of the vote difficult to predict. However, several figures from the local Shia community have spoken out against the boycott.

Abbas al-Madhi – Incumbent

Al-Madhi is a former deputy who registered at the last minute for the contest. He won his seat unopposed in the 2011 by-election.

He cited the importance of “accumulated experience” for serving in Parliament, noting that his previous presidency of the Services Committee qualified him to play a useful role in future legislation.

Dr. Nabil al-Ashiri

Al-Ashiri has pledged to assist low-income families, as well as focusing on “health, education and housing for citizens and a commitment to increasing their incomes”.

Ismail Ali

Abbas al-Faraj

Sayed Dhiya al-Mousawi

Hassan al-Samaheeji

7^th Muharraq

(Arad)

Registered voters: 13,204

Asalah vs Minbar

Early on in the election contest it looked like Sunni societies Al-Asalah and Al-Minbar would be contesting against each other. However, in the end, these groupings are only going head-to-head in this and two other constituencies; 10^th Northern and 1^st Southern.

The constituency was formerly held by independent MP Uthman Sharif. The liberal Al-Watan society is also represented, along with several other prominent independent figures.

This relatively small constituency in terms of land area has the highest number of registered voters out of all the constituencies in Bahrain, at 13,204.

Ali Yaqoub al-Muqla – Asalah

Al-Muqallah: “I have expended all my efforts in the service of Muharraq. I trust in the awareness of citizens who make up the support base of Al-Asalah Society in the constituency. I have been a municipal councilor, now I aspire to represent the area as a deputy”.

Nasir al-Fadhalah – Minbar

Al-Fadhalah is a leading member of the pro-Muslim Brotherhood Al-Minbar society and represented the same constituency during the 2006-2010 Parliament. “Arad is historically linked to both Al-Minbar al-Islami and Al-Asalah Society and the local people are linked to these two societies;” said Al-Fadhalah to Al-Ayam about his electoral prospects.

Badri al-Hammadi – Al-Watan

Al-Hammadi – a lawyer – is a founder member of Al-Watan, the political society which claims to be a moderate voice aspiring for a united Bahrain. However, Al-Hammadi is technically standing as an independent candidate.

Mohammed Mubarak al-Sulaiti

Al-Saliti – a former Finance Ministry official – has confirmed that the economy would be his priority. “I will concentrate on improving quality of life through increasing income for individual Bahrainis and creating new job opportunities”, Al-Saliti told Al-Ayam newspaper.

Mohammed Bin-Isa al-Wazzan

The former head of the local Municipal Council told journalists that his four years of experience on the council had prepared him for serving in Parliament.

Khalid Ibrahim

Journalist Ibrahim said that his campaign would focus on Bahrainis working together to fight corruption and create a better future for upcoming generations. His slogan is “Together we can” which he is promoting through Twitter and the social media.

Adel al-Mannai

Muhammad al-Mulla

Dr. Abdulrahman al-Khashram

Prominent legal expert.

8^th Muharraq

(Southern Muharraq; Hidd)

Registered voters: 9,065

Can Samir Khadim defend his seat?

Until a 2012 by-election, this district had been held by the Salafi Al-Asalah society, before being replaced by independent MP Samir Khadim, who faces a representative from the Sunni society, Al-Saff, and just one other independent candidate.

Samir Khadim – Incumbent

Independent candidate Samir Khadim arrived in Parliament after a 2012 by-election to replace Al-Asalah MP Ghanim al-Buainain.

Abdullah Bughamar – Al-Saff

Bughamar’s promotional material calls for the support of local people. He is representing the Sunni Islamic Al-Saff Society.

Abdulrahman Bu-Ali

Northern Governorate

 

1^st Northern

(Hilla, Meqsha, Karranah, Janusan, Barbar, Diraz)

Registered voters: 10,749

Candidates queue up to oppose the boycott

This district – which has lost some of its territory to the Capital Governorate – has been right at the centre of the post-2011 unrest. So we can expect the boycott to be dominant here.

Ali Ahmed Ali al-Dirazi – Incumbent

Standing MP Al-Dirazi has expressed his optimism that the new Parliament will be stronger as a result of the large numbers of technocrats competing for seats. In an interview with Al-Ayam he talked about the importance of bringing together a united front to respond to the challenges the country faces. Among his priorities he stressed the issues of housing, improving quality of life and strengthening the private sector.

Al-Dirazi stressed that change could only come through the parliamentary process, and that boycotts in the past had weakened the Bahraini Parliament. Al-Dirazi won his seat in the 2011 by-election, following the Al-Wefaq walk-out.

Yassir Abdulaziz Nassif

Nassif: “As one of the young people from 1^st Northern constituency who constitute the majority of the constituents, in am particularly concerned with their requirements. So my campaign will particularly focus on the youth”. Nassif also wants to focus on unemployment and housing.

Hussain Mohammed Habib

Habib stressed his desire to work with “all segments of society to serve the nation and citizens”. His two priority issues are “housing and unemployment, which are of greatest concern to citizens”.

Jaffar Ibrahim al-Asfour

*Fatimah al-Asfour

Mohammed Mahdi Shehab

2^nd Northern

(Markh, Bani Jamra, Diraz)

Registered voters: 6,970

Will voters defy their Ayatollah?

Diraz is the home of Ayatollah Isa Qassim, spiritual leader of Al-Wefaq which is leading the call for a boycott of the parliamentary elections. Candidates will be targeting the proportion of the electorate who dare to come out and defy this boycott. As a result, candidates themselves are likely to come under pressure.

Jalal Kadhim

Jalal has pledged to focus on providing services and improving roads and infrastructure. However, he also told Al-Ayam newspaper that he had a “vision for youth”. “This vision will focus on developing the capabilities of the youth and enabling them to play more of a role in society, investing their talents and energies in building this nation… Through solving the problem of unemployment, many other problems associated with the youth can be addressed.”

Jalal is also part of the “Economic Coalition” constituting a number of candidates in Northern and Capital Governorates

Hussain Salman al-Hamar

Mahmoud al-Jamri

Fadhil Jassim al-Dirazi

3^rd Northern

(Northern strip of west coast; Budayya, Haniniyah, Jasra, Hamala, Um Sabiyan, Um Na’san, Jiddah)

Registered voters: 6,082

Three Dossary’s contesting Bahrain’s Sunni northern coastline

This area encompasses many of the Sunni/loyalist localities along the north of Bahrain’s west coast, like Budaya, Hamala and Jasra. Incumbent Hassan al-Dossary is the candidate to beat.

Despite being the largest Northern constituencies in geographical size, 3^rd Northern has only 6,082 registered voters.

Hassan al-Dossary – Incumbent

Sitting MP Al-Dossary pledged to focus on housing and standards of living, which he said were the issues voters cared about most.

Hamad Salim al-Dossary

Hamad is campaigning under the slogan “National partnership… national responsibility”, with an emphasis on improving standards of living. He said that this “national responsibility” included action to stamp out corruption and outdated standards of administration.

Firas Samir Nouruddin

Firas told Al-Wasat newspaper of his determination to achieve “fundamental change” in economic and cultural issues and “rejecting hatred”, as well as improving standards of education.

Mamdouh Jaffar Marhoun

Marhoun has pledged to focus on improving wages and standards of living.

Adel al-Dossary

Al-Dossary had originally been flagged to be standing as a National Unity Gathering candidate, but was later removed from the list.

Abdulaziz al-Dhawadi

4^th Northern

(Jidhafs, Jablah Habshi, North Sehla, Qadam, Abu-Quwwah)

Registered voters: 9,277

No longer the largest constituency

This was previously the largest electoral district in Bahrain (formerly 1^st Northern, with 15,500 registered voters in 2006). However, much of the west of that constituency (the Sehla area) has been incorporated into the Capital Governorate, leaving behind a constituency with an average number of voters.

The absence of any strong incumbent or other prominent figures has encouraged a flurry of new faces to enter the contest.

*Huda Mansour Radhi

Huda believes that the economy is the most important issue to focus on for solving the challenges which face Bahrain.

Huda’s husband, Hussain al-Muabbir, is contesting the municipal elections. Huda said of the two of them that they are “two sides of the same coin… there needs to be understanding, harmony and coordination between the parliamentary deputy and the council member.”

Huda has accused another female candidate of stealing her election programme and publishing it in the press “word for word”.

Nawaf al-Sayed

Hussain Jawwad

Ghazi Faisal Al Rahmah

Saleh Hassan Ali

Abdullah Hamad al-Haddad

Yousif Ahmed Abdullah

Mohammed Jassim al-Aleywi

5^th Northern

(Qadam, Hajar, Abu Saiba, Shakhurah, Muqaba, Diraz, Sar, Markh)

Registered voters: 10,388

Eleven candidates say “What boycott”?

The villages in this district are familiar as rioting hotspots so there is likely to be active opposition to any kind of participation in elections in this area. However, the absence of Al-Wefaq opens electoral opportunities for new, independent faces.

We can assume that many candidates are working by the logic that in areas where the boycott is likely to strong a candidate can prevail with a relatively small number of votes, which encourages figures who in different circumstances wouldn’t normally have stood a chance.

Jamil al-Rowaei

Jamil said that “fighting sectarianism” was his top priority. He told Al-Watan that despite his close ties with political groupings he wanted to contest as an independent in order to “represent all segments of the Bahraini people equally to guarantee the promotion of national unity”.

Jamil cited his years of service in “those Government departments closest to citizens” and his recent Masters in law as among his attributes in an interview with Al-Watan newspaper. He will prioritize housing, infrastructure, inflation and health insurance.

Isa Yousif Taqi

Taqi, a prominent banker, has pledged to invest his “years of experience in human capital, in order to enforce measures on banks and companies – particularly foreign-owned – for increasing the proportion of Bahraini employees and making Bahrainis the first and preferred choice for recruitment.” Taqi added in comments to Al-Ayam newspaper that he would prioritize the upgrading of skills in the private sector and the provision of training for young people.

Ali al-Aradi

Al-Aradi is a legal consultant who has stressed to work to increase investment in Bahrain and promote the economy, so as to improve standards of living for Bahrainis. Al-Aradi said that the “previous Parliament failed in its oversight and legislative roles”.

Ahmed al-Najjar

Al-Najjar stressed the importance of “well-qualified” candidates, in order to “turn demands into tangible results on the ground”.

Jamil Ali al-Mahari

Jamil’s brother Shakir has applied to be a candidate in the municipal elections

Mohammed Mohsin

Sadiq Jaffar Jumah

Fadhil al-Harz

Mohammed Khalil Ibrahim

Nabil al-Lababidi

*Hannan Abdulaziz

6^th Northern

(Aali)

Registered voters: 10,704

Al-Saati departs the field in Aali

Aali is an archaeologically significant area as the home of thousands of prehistoric burial mounds. Aali also is home to numerous hardcore opposition supporters and so there will certainly be a significant contingent who decide to boycott.

The incumbent, who won his seat in the 2011 by-election – Ahmed al-Saati, is a respected figure and the brains behind the new “Al-Watan” political society that aspires to be a moderate and progressive force in Bahraini politics. His sudden announcement half-way through the registration process that he wouldn’t be standing came as a surprise to everyone and leaves this contest wide open. The result was a rush of new candidates declaring their candidacies at the last minute.

Majid Saleh

Saleh said that his candidacy would prioritize “strengthening the sense of national loyalty and social solidarity and the principle of peaceful coexistence between all parts of society”. He also stressed in an interview to Al-Ayam the importance of creating job opportunities for graduates and the importance of recruitment based on merit. Saleh added that he also prioritized parliamentary scrutiny of Government performance.

*Rua al-Haiki

Sayed Moayed Neamah

Mohammed Mohsin al-Aali

Ali Yousif al-Sayegh

Mohammed Jaffar Al Asfour

Hamid Fakhro

Mohammed Abdulrasoul Nassif

Mohammed Ali al-Bahhar

Younis Gharib

7^th Northern

(Al-Qurayah, Janabiyah, Buri, Hamalah, Dumistan)

Registered voters: 10,245

Anybody’s contest in 7^th Northern

The lack of a sitting MP or other obvious political heavyweights in this constituency has encouraged numerous independent candidates to declare themselves. It is fair to say that this contest is open to anyone who competes hard and gains prominence. A second-round run-off is almost guaranteed. The same could be said about many of the constituencies running through the centre of Bahrain where boundary changes have left many areas without a standing MP and with political societies often failing to field candidates.

The 7^th Northern district is a demographically diverse district, ranging from localities with a largely middle-class loyalist population like Janabiya and Hamala; to areas like Dumistan and Al-Qurrayah which are predominantly Shia and contain elements supportive of the opposition.

Mohammed Saeed Jaffar Bin-Rajab

Mohammed is son of the former Governor of the Northern Governorate and his brother is contesting to be a municipal councilor. He said he would “fight against the corruption which is running rampant in the country”.

Majid al-Majid

Majid’s candidacy surprised people because he is closely associated with the opposition Shirazi movement.

Ahmed Hassan

Hassan is reported to be affiliated with Economic Coalition, which has a small number of associates contesting the elections.

Jamil Abbas

Abbas told journalists that this was his first attempt at a candidacy and he was unsure of his chances, but cited his “energy and abilities” as his primary motivation.

Munir Ahmed Sorrour

Campaign image

Abduljalil al-Aali

Ali Ahmed Makki

Majid Ibrahim Adib

Al-Sayed Ala al-Wadaei

Ali Hassan al-Sakran

Jaffar Dhaif

8^th Northern

(Hamad Town 1-8 roundabout left)

Registered voters: 8,521

Al-Minbar seeks a foothold in Hamad Town

Hamad Town is a sprawling working-class region of Bahrain that expanded significantly over recent decades. The mixed population and changes to constituency boundaries make election results difficult to predict. People will be looking for deputies who can make credible promises for improving services, housing provision and jobs. Islamic candidates have tended to perform well.

Adel al-Dhawadi – Minbar

Al-Dhawadi noted an accumulated 25 years of political experience. He is a political advisor for Al-Minbar Society. He says the boundary changes encouraged him to participate, believing this would increase his chances.

Isa Turki

Al-Turki told Al-Watan newspaper that the high number of candidates in the 2014 elections was an indication of the “climate of democracy in Bahrain based on respect for individual freedoms along with the increasing momentum of political progress”. He criticized the failure of political societies for failing to agree on unified lists, saying that this was “evidence that their approach was based on blind loyalty, not on competence or skills”.

Jassim Mohammed Hijris

Hijris will be competing for the third time and said that he would be focusing on public services. He said that he wanted to combat unemployment, particularly amongst new graduates. “This constituency cannot be considered the property of any particular grouping whatever certain deluded people may believe. This constituency remains open to competition, particularly after the border changes;” Hijris told Al-Ayam.

Bader Hamad al-Dossary

Promotional image.

*Maryam al-Mahrous

9^th Northern

(Hamad Town 3-12 roundabout right)

Registered voters: 12,315

NUG tries to gain ground on independent rivals

Voters in this section of Hamad Town have a choice between a range of figures. The National Unity Gathering will be hoping that 9^th Northern becomes one of their parliamentary seats, but they will have to fight off a string of rival independent figures, such as Abdulhamid al-Najjar and Yousif Zainal.

Ahmed Arad – NUG

Arad noted that the former Parliament had been “empty of legal experts”, citing his own experience in this field. His campaign slogans emphasize “fair wages”.

Abdulhamid al-Najjar

Al-Najjar said he had received offers from several political societies to participate on their lists, but declined, “fearing that this would diminish my chances”. Abdulhamid al-Najjar has centred his campaign around the theme of fighting “moral corruption”.

Yousif Zainulabidin Zainal

Zainal, an MP in the 2002 Parliament, emphasized his commitment to supporting the King’s reform programme. He said that his relationship with local constituents remained strong.

Shaikh Mohammed Baqer Yousif

Yousif is a local preacher, standing as an independent.

Ahmed al-Qahiri

Al-Qahiri is a prominent lawyer, standing as an independent.

Ahmed Yousif Mohammed

Abdullah Tarrar Sultan

Mahmoud Abdulrahman

Hassan al-Alawi

10^th Northern

(Hamad Town 1-8 roundabout right)

Registered voters: 10,552

Three Sunni societies fighting to capture 10^th Northern

In the 10^th Northern district boundary changes have pitted two Sunni Islamist sitting MPs against each other; Khalid al-Maloud from Al-Asalah will be against Mohammed al-Ammadi.

There was clearly a desire to avoid these two heavyweights going head-to-head; either through a Minbar-Asalah electoral alliance; or through one of these figures changing his address following the boundary changes. However, their failure to avoid a confrontation will make this constituency a flashpoint in the contest between Sunni Islamist groupings.

Much of the coverage is likely to be about the battle between these two figures, but some analysts predict that independents are in with a chance due to widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of established political societies in previous parliaments.

Khalid al-Maloud – Asalah incumbent

Khalid gained his seat in 2011 when the sitting Al-Wefaq MP walked out of Parliament.  In the 2011 by-election Al-Asalah member, Al-Maloud, narrowly won in the second round against Abdulhamid al-Najjar, who is now contesting the 9^th Northern district.

Mohammed Ismail al-Ammadi – Minbar Incumbent

Al-Ammadi, a leading figure in the pro-Muslim Brotherhood Al-Minbar al-Islami has said that his society’s campaign will focus on how public funds are spent.

Al-Ammadi stressed that Al-Minbar had a unified campaign which would focus on the economy, infrastructure and improving standards of living. He stressed that in his own constituency he wanted to address the issue of service provision, particularly improving access to local health centres and power supply.

*Sima al-Lengawi – NUG

Al-Lengawi, a member of the National Unity Gathering, noted that 10^th Southern district would be one to watch particularly with candidates from three competing societies associated with the Al-Fateh Coalition.

Al-Lengawi has said that she wants to focus on economic issues, particularly revitalizing the economy and promoting Bahrain abroad. However, she also cited the youth, housing and services as key issues.

Al-Lengawi: “No-one can today complain that the Parliament is weak. The Parliament is elected and those who select the representatives in this Parliament are the people. Therefore, the weakness or strength of this Parliament is based on the choices of the electorate for the most suitable candidate”.

Saad Sultan

Saad: “Democracy is the agent of progress and civilization for peoples and nations… Parliamentary participation is a legal and moral responsibility from the deputy on behalf of the electorate”.

Sayed Abdulqadir Mohammed

Mohammed said that he wanted to improve the quality of life of citizens through increasing wages in both the public and private sector. He told Al-Ayam newspaper: “One of the top priorities of my election campaign is eliminating unemployment through new mechanisms” enabling Bahrainis to improve their levels of skills and qualifications.

Hashim Rabeah

Rabeah campaign slogan: “Hand in hand towards a better future – oh my country”

Khalid al-Zubari

11^th Northern

(Dar Kulayb, Hamad Town 13-22 roundabouts)

Registered voters: 12,341

Independent candidates campaign to bring down Buqais

The Hamad Town constituencies have relatively high numbers of registered voters and 11^th Northern is demographically the second largest constituency in Bahrain in terms of registered voters.

In this southern end of Hamad Town with a diverse demographic, the incumbent MP, Mohammed Buqais – who won his seat from Al-Wefaq in the 2011 by-election – is facing-off against several independent figures.

Mohammed Salim Jassim Buqais – Incumbent

Bu-Qays gained his seat in 2011 when the sitting Al-Wefaq MP walked out of Parliament.

Jaffar al-Hamiri

Al-Hamiri wants to focus on “education, housing, pensioners and women”. This his second attempt to win a seat.

Jamal Dawoud Salman

Dawoud told Al-Watan: “It was a particular segment of Bahraini society that made it into the previous Parliament. Society must alter its thinking in order to bring in new faces to bring about change”.

Ali Salim al-Fadhli

Al-Fadhil, participating for the first time, said that his vision for “content citizens” focused on three areas: “The nation, the citizen and women”. He wanted to prioritize housing, education, increasing wages and the role of women.

12^th Northern

(Dumistan, Luzi, Karzakan, Malikiyah, Sadad, Shahrakan, Safariyah)

Registered voters: 11,323

An unclear contest on Bahrain’s west coast

Many localities in this district half-way down Bahrain’s west coast have seen sporadic rioting over the last three years, so certain elements will be supporting the boycott. However, the population in this district is diverse, so incumbent Khalid Abdulaal will be trying to get his supporters out in substantial numbers.

Khalid Abdali Mohammed Abdulaal – Incumbent

Khalid gained his seat in 2011 when the sitting Al-Wefaq MP walked out of Parliament.

Ali Baqer

Baqer told Al-Watan that he believes the priority issues to be “health, jobs, housing and education”.

Ali Fardan Mohammed

Abdulrazzaq Fardan

*Jamila al-Sammak

Ammad al-Sayed

Yaqoub Yousif

Southern Governorate

 

1^st Southern

(Isa Town)

Registered voters: 7,998

Battle of the societies

The incumbent MP, Adnan al-Maliki from the Salafist Al-Asalah will have to compete against two other Sunni groupings, in the form of Al-Minbar al-Islami (Adnan al-Maliki) and the National Unity Gathering (female candidate Jayhan Hadi); along with numerous independent candidates, making this fight likely to go to a second round.

This constituency will be an unpredictable and difficult fight. Because this sector is made up from former districts of the Central Governorate, it is difficult to predict where its new affiliations will lie. Moderate independent candidates have tended to perform well in this central area.

Adnan al-Maliki – Asalah Incumbent

Al-Maliki stated that his society, Al-Asalah, wanted to focus on improving standards of living and improving housing provision during the coming Parliament.

Khalid al-Qattan – Minbar

Al-Qattan told Al-Wasat newspaper that his chances were good “based on my positive role in the National Consensus Dialogue”. He praised the high number of candidates in the 1^st Southern constituency as  “healthy phenomenon” for providing constituents with a broad choice.

*Jehan Mohammed Hadi – NUG

Jehan was the first woman to register her candidacy in the Southern Governorate and has been a prominent voice since the elections were declared.

Jehan: “Bahrainis are determined to continue on their democratic path which offers wide-ranging freedoms and allows citizens to freely and sincerely express their views, including criticizing Government policies”.

Jaffar al-Kharaz

Habib has stressed that “housing and the youth” are his two campaign priorities. Habib cited his past experience of government work on housing issues to illustrate that he had the necessary experience to address people’s aspirations on this issue.

Habib will stand as an independent, saying he wanted to show that independent voices were the best able to reflect the views of citizens.

Khalid al-Shaer

Al-Shaer told Al-Bilad newspaper that he had gained a lot of political experience since his failed candidacy in the previous elections. He said he would focus his campaign on developing human capital, housing and security.

Ahmed al-Amer

Al-Amer is an administrative official for a bank. He pledged to prioritize “supporting economic projects and projects for national unity”.

Amer clarified that he was standing as an independent, despite being a member of Mithaq. He said that Bahrainis had “lost trust in political societies”.

Abdulrahman Abdullah

Salman al-Shaikh

Abdulghani al-Haiki

Anwar Qambar

2^nd Southern

(Isa Town, Zayid Town)

Registered voters: 8,212

An open field with no political groupings

The working-class conurbations of Isa Town and Zayid Town have tended to favour loyalist-leaning independent candidates. Incumbent MP Isa al-Qadhi will be facing stiff competition from a string of other independent candidates.

Isa al-Qadhi – Incumbent

Al-Qadhi is an independent MP who won his seat in a second-round run-off in 2010. Al-Qadhi in comments to Al-Wasat newspaper accused many candidates of simply participating for “financial motives”, saying that the large number of candidates in this elections was a negative phenomenon.

*Faydh al-Sharqawi

Al-Sharqawi has stressed the importance of encouraging young people to participate in the democratic process through outreach to universities and schools, with a view to promoting the King’s reform project. At public meetings Al-Sharqawi has urged that voters promote young candidates “in order to witness their capabilities for accomplishing change”. She has expressed her expectation that women will perform well in the 2014 elections.

Mohammed al-Ahmed

Journalist Al-Ahmed has praised the recent electoral boundary changes as “making a big difference to the political map” and has stressed the importance of independent monitors for guaranteeing transparency and fairness for the elections. Al-Ahmed in an interview with Al-Bilad newspaper also stressed the importance of combatting extremist groups like ISIS.

Al-Ahmed has been outspoken in warning about increases in personal debt, out of proportion with the relatively low wages of ordinary citizens. He noted in comments to Al-Ayam that 72,000 citizens had wages lower than 400 dinars (approx. $1060) per month.

Mohammed al-Zayani

Retired colonel Al-Zayani has been highly critical of other candidates and the performance of the former Parliament. He said that he wasn’t looking for high positions and glory “like some of those deputies who care about nothing other than that, ignoring the public interest and serving citizens”.

Al-Zayyani questioned whether other heavyweight candidates like Jassim Saeedi had been forces to sit the mandatory tests to check their reading and writing skills.

Mohammed al-Dhawadi

Al-Dhawadi: “The political awareness of those in my constituency is a sufficient guarantor for the selection of the most appropriate candidate”.

Al-Dhawadi slogan: “I don’t promise what I can’t deliver. I do what I promise”.

Ahmed al-Murbati

Al-Murbati, 36 years-old, told journalists that he had dreamed of competing since 2002, but only now was he within the age limit. He said that Isa al-Qadhi, the local incumbent had had long enough in his seat.

Abdulaziz Matar

Abdulaziz says he has put “the youth at the centre of my campaign”. He said that young people could achieve great things for Bahrain, but they “have never been given the chance”.

Yaqoub Yousif Nassim

Nassim initially announced he was standing for election – then withdrew – then returned to the contest. Nassim will stand as an independent, despite being a member of the “Reform Society” associated with Al-Minbar al-Islami.

Ahmed Matar

3^rd Southern

(North Riffa, Hajiat)

Registered voters: 7,227

Can anybody depose Abdulhalim Murad?

This constituency is in the central loyalist heartland of Al-Riffa. The incumbent Al-Asalah candidate Abdulhalim Murad will be tough to displace.

Abdulhalim Murad – Asalah Incumbent

Hassan al-Ali

Al-Ali has pledged to be a “voice representing the youth and their aspirations”. “We young people are capable of undertaking the responsibility of promoting the ideas and acts of the youth in order to maximize the national good”; Al-Ali told Al-Ayam newspaper.

Mohammed al-Maloud

Al-Maloud said that he would put forward a number of solutions for addressing the housing issue and improving the position of families of limited income. He said he wanted to learn lessons from “developed nations” for putting forward creative solutions to these challenges.

Dr Mohammed al-Housani

Al-Housani is a member of the pro-Muslim Brotherhood Al-Minbar al-Islami, but is to stand as an independent candidate. He has stressed that he will focus on “improving the lives of citizens and strengthening their sense of belonging to the nation and their loyalty to the leadership”.

Abdullah al-Hajji

Image from Al-Hajji’s registration

Naji al-Dossary

Ali al-Hassan

4^th Southern

(Nuwaidrat, Sanad, Hajiat)

Registered voters: 8,589

Al-Minbar seeking a southern seat

This is a mixed (opposition/loyalist Sunni/Shia) constituency which will make the results very interesting, particularly as this constituency is another product of boundary changes and the abolition of the Central Governorate.

Dr. Hashim al-Madani – Minbar

Al-Madani: “Bahrain, with is Arabic identity and Islamic creed and customs, has always stood in the face of Western interference and moral corruption – With your efforts we can defend it” (promotional advert).

Mohammed al-Maarifi

Al-Maarifi had been tipped to be representing the National Unity Gathering. However, after not being included on their final list he is running as an independent. He has been one of the more visible figures since early on in the contest.

Al-Maarifi told Al-Watan newspaper that he was working with a “team of experts and specialists to prepare a time-based plan to solve the housing crisis” in his constituency. Businessman Al-Maarifi has stressed the importance of economic experts in the coming Parliament in order to promote economic growth and address the challenges the country faces.

Nabil Al-Musaifar

Lawyer Al-Musaifar said he wanted to play a role in raising standards of living. He urged Bahrainis to come out in large numbers to vote.

Faisal Ibrahim al-Bufalah

Faisal told the media that he wants to focus on reducing prices of certain basic goods and increasing wages.

Abdulrahman Abdulkarim

Ashraf al-Assar

Abdulhamid al-Shaikh

Ibrahim al-Mannai

Al-Mannai has pledged to use his skills and experience to “achieve the demands” of local people

5^th Southern

(West Riffa, Haniniyah, Bukuwarah)

Registered voters: 8,788

Can Al-Asalah dominate the field?

In this staunchly loyalist area, the battle will be between the representative for the Sunni Al-Minbar al-Islami Society and a few independent candidates. Women’s activist Fawzia Zaynal is also a popular figure.

Abdulrazzaq al-Hattab – Asalah

Al-Hattab, who is standing as a representative for the Salafist Al-Asalah Society, has been the municipal councilor in the Central Governorate for two terms. As head of the municipal council during his second term, he told Al-Watan newspaper that his service gave him valuable experience in liaising with government departments and understanding how they worked”

Nayef al-Jassim

Al-Jassim said he had put together a “youth bloc” to contest the elections to “prevent the political and religious societies from dominating the assemblies”, calling on people to “free themselves from the dominance of these societies”.

Al-Jassim: “I will enter Parliament with the ideas of the youth in order to change the status quo between deputy and electorate… I have entered the elections to facilitate greater boldness among young people for taking this step.”

*Fawzia Zainal

Fawzia, a women’s activist, has contested three rounds of parliamentary elections without yet winning a seat. Fawzia says that housing is one of her priorities, as well as addressing unemployment and fighting corruption.

Fawzia stressed the need for “fundamental solutions to the issue of unemployment, supporting pensioners and improving living conditions, especially for divorced women and children”.

Adel al-Rowaei

Campaign promotional image.

Mohammed Qarratah

Khalifa al-Ghanim

6^th Southern

(Northern Riffa, Bukuwarah)

Registered voters: 8,262

Head of Parliament fails to show

One of the big stories of the elections was the announcement of Khalifa al-Dhahraini, the head of the previous Parliament, that he wouldn’t be standing. There were expectations until the last minute that popular pressure may cause him to change his mind. However, his non-appearance opens up the field for untested candidates.

The most prominent figure is Mohammed al-Buainain, head of the Mithaq Society, which is part of the loyalist Al-Fateh Coalition. However there are numerous other independent figures and a “Free Nationalist” Society representative jostling for attention.

Mohammed al-Buainain – Mithaq

Al-Buainain is Secretary-General of Al-Mithaq al-Amal al-Watani (National Action Charter) Society. He appears to have delayed his candidacy until the last minute to ensure Al-Dhahrani wasn’t standing.

*Layla Rajab – Al-Watani al-Hurr

Rajab said that three candidates were associated with her “Free Nationalist” society. In comments to Al-Ayam, Rajab rejected spending excessive money on election campaigns, saying that such money should be donated to better causes. Rajab is competing for the third time, having lost previously to the influential Khalifa al-Dhahrani, head of the last Parliament.

Abdullah Abdulrahman Baqer

Baqer told Al-Ayam newspaper: “Previous deputies have played their role, but the coming Parliament must do more to improve standards of living, which have become very difficult”. Baqer said that he didn’t want to be associated with any political grouping, but desired to “put forward the aspirations of citizens with complete independence”.

Dr. Salah Ahmed Khalifa

Dr Khalifa: Bahrain’s youth are the key to solving the many problems that we suffer from. They can become a positive force if we encourage them to take responsibility”.

Khalifa – Chairman of the Bahrain Technological Institute – promised to use his position within civil society to encourage the participation of local societies in projects to promote growth and education.

Dr. Khalifa: “I was encouraged by many people to participate, as they believe I am the right man for the job.” Dr. Salah said he had intended to stand irrespective of whether Al-Dhahrani was participating.

Yousif al-Hamdan

Journalist Al-Hamdan said it was his “dream and aim” to make it to Parliament, while acknowledging the strength of the competition in his constituency.

*Nawal Ahmed Saqer al-Dossary

Anis Buhindi

Hashim al-Fadhli

Khalifa al-Dossary

Hassan al-Mir

Ibrahim Fakhro

7^th Southern

(Nuwaidrat, West Riffa, Rawdhah)

Registered voters: 8,304

Bin-Huwail the favourite in West Riffa contest

Another mixed constituency with redrawn borders that has attracted a plurality of candidates looking to displace the incumbent MP Abdullah Bin-Huwail, who had previously headed the “Independents Bloc” in the Parliament. Another MP, Ahmed al-Mulla, changed his electoral address to avoid standing in the same constituency as Bin-Huwail.

Abdullah Bin-Huwail – Incumbent

Bin-Huwail: The boycott has failed. The nation is ready to participate and decide its own destiny”. He said that he had decided to be independent because “the independent bloc has proved its role in advancing numerous issues in the 2010 Parliament”.

Sharikh al-Dossary

Al-Dossary: “The success of these elections is a gate to a more prosperous, safe and secure phase.” “Parliament is the route for achieving popular demands, proposals and national initiatives that will benefit all segments of this nation”.

Al-Dossary – a prominent businessman – claimed that he was not seeking personal benefit and pledged to give his wages and any other benefits to the local people.

Ahmed Faisal Jabr al-Dossary

Promotional image

Anwar al-Mohammed

8^th Southern

(Southern Sitra, Ma’amir, East Riffa, Awali, Mazrowiyah, Askar, Jaw, Dawr)

Registered voters: 6,451

Will Jassim al-Saeedi conquer all?

Constituency border changes have produced this rather odd constituency, ranging from the opposition home turf of Sitra to the loyalist hearth of Riffa.

After the failure of sitting MP Khamis al-Rumaihi to register, the dominant figure in this contest is outspoken Sunni Islamist MP, Jassim al-Saeedi. It remains to be seen whether other independent candidates can gain sufficient exposure to have any chance.

The 8^th Southern district lies to the south of Bahrain along the eastern coast, in an area with a relatively low population density. Despite its relatively large size, this is the constituency with the fourth lowest number of voters. The expansion of this district has brought in a few Shia-majority areas, particularly to the north east in Sitra, which may help create opportunities for a more diverse range of MPs.

Jassim al-Saeedi – Incumbent

Al-Saeedi: “I have a popular following in all constituencies and therefore these changes won’t affect my chances of winning”. Al-Saeedi is a controversial Sunni preacher who has been outspoken in attacking the opposition since the 2011 unrest. This led to charges of sectarianism, but has increased his public profile and if anything, intensified his support base.

Dhiyab al-Noaimi

Al-Noaimi: “Our aim is to support the democratic process and entrench its values, as well as strengthening parliamentary life in our kingdom”.

Mohammed al-Sisi

Al-Sisi: “Each generation has its own ideas. I’m from a different generation from previous deputies… it’s now our turn to move things forward. There is incomplete legislation that new needs new thinking in order to develop it.”

*Noora Bushehri

Bushehri wants to concentrate on increasing the incomes of pensioners, while improving employment prospects for recent graduates. Bushehri, who holds a Masters in criminal law, stressed the benefits of well-educated candidates, particularly those from a legal background.

Ali al-Rumaihi

Al-Rumaihi said he wanted to concentrate on finding jobs for unemployed Bahrainis and assisting low-income families, as well as addressing the housing issue and providing more support for pensioners.

Mohammed al-Awdhani

Abdullah al-Azami

Al-Azami: “My primary motivation for candidacy is serving my nation and providing a better life for Bahraini citizens in all constituencies”. He stressed the importance of national unity.

9^th Southern

(Southwest coast; Sakhir)

Registered voters: 5,090

The NUG’s southern hope

One of the three sparsely populated but geographically large southern constituencies that will certainly go to a loyalist candidate. Prominent candidates include independent incumbent Abdullah al-Dossary, Mohammed al-Quwwati from the National Unity Gathering; and former head of the Southern Municipal Council, Mohsin al-Bakri – with no less than four candidates from the Dossary tribe.

It is worth pointing out that independent candidates have traditionally performed strongly in the constituencies of the Southern Governorate.

Abdullah al-Dossary – Incumbent

Al-Dossary has warned that allowing too many new faces into the Parliament will weaken it. He stressed the need for skills and experience in the legislative process. He said that his campaign would focus on housing and standards of living.

Mohammed al-Quwwati – NUG

Al-Quwwati said that the National Unity Gathering wanted to “widen” the presence of the middle class in Bahrain. He also stressed the importance of raising standards of living and encouraging “family tourism” to Bahrain.

Mohammed al-Dossary

Mohammed al-Dossary had been included as one of the four candidates from the Mithaq Society, which is part of the Al-Fateh Coalition. However, on 13 October he announced that he would be standing as an independent candidate. He told Al-Ayam newspaper that he was still a member of Al-Mithaq and “proud to be associated with it”. However, after studying his 9^th Southern region and canvassing views of constituents, “it became clear to me that people of the constituency didn’t accept candidates associated with political societies. Also my chances are better if I’m dissociated from Al-Mithaq Society or others”.

Mohammed clarified that if he was elected he would remain independent. “I will be close to all parties who collaborate to promote the reformist project, who preserve the established national fundamentals and who work to expand the margins of freedoms and democracy”.

Yousif Fayhan al-Dossary

Yousif was a municipal councilor for two terms between 2002 and 2010. Al-Dossary called on the opposition to participate in the elections, citing the importance of “diversity and different views” in Parliament.

Mohsin al-Bakri

Al-Bakri served for two terms as a municipal councilor and was head of the council during his second term. Al-Bakri observed that the absence of political societies like Al-Minbar and Al-Asalah in the 9^th district created a greater opening for independents like him. Al-Bakri is to prioritize improving standards of living and greater scrutiny of spending of public funds.

Yousif al-Dossary

Mutib al-Dhawadi

10^th Southern

(Southern Bahrain, Dawr & Hawar islands)

Registered voters: 2,368

Life after Latifa

Latifa al-Gaoud, who was Bahrain’s first female in 2006, has long held on to this constituency although she did not register to participate this time around.

An obvious replacement is sitting MP Ahmed al-Mulla who, as a result of the boundary changes, has now registered to compete in this region. As a result of a few withdrawals and candidacy rejections, he only faces one opponent; Khalid al-Dosary.

The 10^th Southern district encompasses a large area of Bahrain’s southern landmass, but is sparse on population. With 2,368 registered voters, this is the constituency with by far the smallest number of voters in Bahrain (next smallest 9^th Southern with 5,090 voters). However, prior to the electoral reforms this region only had around 1,175 registered voters. 10^th Southern includes the Hawar Islands whose ownership was previously contested with Qatar.

Ahmed al-Mulla – Incumbent

Al-Mulla had been set to stand in the 7^th Southern constituency. However, he changed his address after seeing how the constituency border changes “weakened his chances”. He subsequently told journalists that he had not wanted to stand against the head of his “Independents Bloc” Abdullah Bin-Huwail.

Al-Mulla said that in the coming Parliament he wanted to concentrate on economic legislation in order to promote growth. He commented that the previous Parliament had spent a far greater portion of its time on criminal and judicial matters.

Khalid al-Dossary