Bahrainis Vote for Parliament Boycotted by Main Shiite Group
This article is for subscribers only.
Bahrain is holding elections that are being boycotted by the largest Shiite Muslim opposition group, more than three years after a deadly crackdown on protests against the Persian Gulf nation’s Sunni rulers.
A total of 419 candidates are running for parliamentary and municipal council seats in today’s vote, the Directorate of Election and Referendum said on its website. State-run television showed voters streaming into polling stations against the backdrop of patriotic songs and no mention of the boycott by al-Wefaq, the nation’s biggest Shiite bloc. Public security chief Tariq al-Hassan said the police will “monitor groups or individuals” that try to hinder balloting or threaten security.