MANAMA, OCT. 26 (BNA) -- THE STRONG COMPETITION FOR THIS YEARS PARLIAMENTARY AND MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 25, 2006, WAS FINALLY CRYSTALLIZED AS THE PERIOD FOR FILING NOMINATION PAPERS CAME TO END, MARKING A NOTICEABLE INCREASE MAINLY IN NUMBER OF CONSTITUENCIES AND FEMALE CANDIDATES AGAINST 2002 ELECTION FIGURES.

A TOTAL OF 217 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING 18 WOMEN WILL RUN FOR NOVEMBER 25 ELECTIONS, MARKING AN INCREASE BY 18 CANDIDATES AGAINST THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO RAN FOR 2002 ELECTIONS WHICH WITNESSED THE PARTICIPATION OF ONLY 8 WOMEN.

IN MUHARRAQ GOVERNORATE, 40 CANDIDATES ARE TO COMPETE FOR 2006 ELECTIONS AGAINST ONLY 38 IN 2002, 49 AGAINST 49 IN THE CAPITAL GOVERNORATE, 48 AGAINST 46 IN THE NORTHERN GOVERNORATE, 55 AGAINST 41 IN THE CENTRAL GOVERNORATE AND 23 AGAINST 26 IN THE SOUTHERN GOVERNORATE.

THIS YEARS ELECTIONS WITNESSED THE VICTORY OF A FEMALE UNCONTESTED CANDIDATE, LATIFA AL QAOUD, WHO WON A SEAT ON THE SOUTHERN GOVERNORATES CONSTITUENCY OF HOWAR, TO BE THE FIRST WOMAN IN BAHRAIN AND THE GULF TO BOOK A SEAT AT THE PARLIAMENT WHEREAS 2002 ELECTIONS WITNESSED THE VICTORY OF THREE UNCONTESTED MALE CANDIDATES AND NONE OF THE 8 FEMALE CANDIDATES WAS ABLE TO ACCEDE TO PARLIAMENT.

OF THE 221 CANDIDATES IN THE KINGDOM, 4 CHOSE TO WITHDRAW FOR VARIOUS REASONS, MAINLY TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR MORE COMPETITIVE CANDIDATES TO SERVE NATIONAL INTERESTS.

HOWEVER, A TOTAL OF 14 CANDIDATES WITHDREW IN 2002 ELECTIONS.


IN THE 2006 ELECTIONS, THE FINAL NUMBER OF UNICIPAL CANDIDATES FOR THE ELECTIONS REACHED 171 AND INCLUDED FIVE WOMEN, THREE OF THEM FROM MUHARRAQ WHILE IN 2002, 306 MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES, INCLUDING 31 WOMEN, FILED THEIR NOMINATION PAPERS.
IN THE 2006, 37 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING 4 WOMEN, JOINED THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN MUHARRAQ, COMPARED WITH THE 2002 ELECTIONS 81 CONTESTANTS WHO INCLUDED 9 WOMEN IN THE SAME GOVERNORATE.
IN THE CENTRAL GOVERNORATE, CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR THE 2006 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS REACHED 37 WHILE IN 2002, AS MANY AS 80 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING 10 WOMEN, COMPETED FOR MUNICIPAL SEATS.
IN THE NORTHERN GOVERNORATE, THE NUMBER OF MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES HIT 37 IN 2006 COMPARED WITH THE 64 CANDIDATES, INCLUDING 8 WOMEN, WHO JOINED THE MUNICIPAL RACE IN 2002.
IN THE CAPITAL GOVERNORATE, 32 MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES RAN FOR THE 2006 ELECTIONS WHILE 50, INCLUDED 3 WOMEN CONTESTED IN 2002.
IN THE SOUTHERN GOVERNORATE, THE 31 CANDIDATES OF 2002 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS , INCLUDING ONE WOMAN, OUTNUMBERED THE 28 CANDIDATES, ALSO INCLUDING ONE WOMAN, WHO FILED THEIR NOMINATION PAPERS FOR THE 2006 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
IN 2006, UNLIKE THE CASE IN THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN WHICH NO CANDIDATE WON UNCONTESTED, A PARLIAMENTARY FEMALE CANDIDATE DID SO AS WAS THE CASE EXACTLY IN THE 2002 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
OBSERVERS ASCRIBED THE DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES IN 2006 TO THE FACT THAT IN 2002, BAHRAIN HELD ITS FIRST ELECTIONS AFTER A 30-YEAR-LONG INTERRUPTION AMID THE VOTERS GROWING THIRST TO EXERCISE THEIR ELECTORAL RIGHT YOKED BY A RISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE TO TAKE PART IN POLITICS.
OVER THE LAST YEARS, HOWEVER, BAHRAINI CITIZENS REALIZED THAT POLITICAL ACTIVITY DOES NOT SIMPLY CONSIST IN PARLIAMENTARY AND MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS BUT ALSO INCLUDES AFFILIATION IN POLITICAL AS WELL AS CIVIL, PRIVATE AND VOCATIONAL SOCIETIES.
THIS PUBLIC INTEREST IN POLITICS BROUGHT ABOUT AN OUTSTANDING INCREASE IN SOCIETIES FROM 60 TO 300 OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, OPENING THE DOORS FOR EVERYBODY TO EFFECTIVELY TAKE PART IN THE DEMOCRATIC MARCH AND THE REFORM PROJECT OF HM KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA.

REGARDING THE DECLINE IN WOMAN CANDIDACY TO FIVE IN THE CURRENT MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS COMPARED WITH A TOTAL OF 31 CANDIDATES WHO FILED THEIR NOMINATION PAPERS IN 2002, OBSERVERS SAID THAT THIS COULD BE EXPLAINED BY AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WOMAN RUNNERS FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS FROM ONLY 8 IN 2002 TO 18 IN 2006.
THIS RISE CLEARLY INDICATES THAT A BAHRAINI WOMAN FEELS MORE COMFORTABLE AS AN MP THAN A MUNICIPAL MEMBER TO PLAY A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN BAHRAINS POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OUTNUMBERED THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A VICTORY IN MUNICIPALITY POLLS.
WHILE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MUNICIPALITY CANDIDATES REACHED 171, INCLUDING 5 WOMEN, PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES HIT 217 OF WHOM 18 ARE WOMEN.
MUHARAQ, CENTRAL AND NORTHERN GOVERNORATES HAD THE LION SHARE OF MUNICIPALITY CANDIDACY WHERE THE NUMBER REACHED 37 IN EACH WHILE THE CAPITAL GOVERNORATE RECEIVED ONLY 32 APPLICATIONS AND 28 WERE FILED IN THE SOUTHERN GOVERNORATE.
AMONG ALL THESE GOVERNORATES, ONLY THE SOUTHERN GOVERNORATE RECORDED A SURPRISING HIGHER NUMBER OF MUNICIPALITY CANDIDATES THAN OF PARLIAMENTARY CONTESTANTS.
IN THE SOUTHERN GOVERNORATE, AS MANY AS 23 ARE EAGER TO BOOK SEATS AT THE PARLIAMENT WHILE 28 YEARN TO WIN MUNICIPAL RACE.
THE FORTY CONSTITUENCIES REVEAL HIGH NUMBERS OF PARLIAMENTARY AND MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES.
HOWEVER, ONLY 8 CONSTITUENCIES WILL DEFINITELY WITNESS ONLY ONE ROUND OF ELECTIONS WHILE THE REST ARE EXPECTED TO HOLD A SECOND ROUND.
THE THREE CONSTITUENCIES EXPECTED TO WITNESS ONE-ROUND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ARE THE CAPITAL GOVERNORATE, CONSTITUENCY 1, MUHARAQ GOVERNORATE, CONSTITUENCY 3 AND SOUTHERN GOVERNORATE, CONSTITUENCY 4.
THE OTHER FIVE CONSTITUENCIES WHICH ARE NOT LIKELY TO GO FOR A SECOND ROUND OF MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS ARE THE CAPITALS CONSTITUENCIES 3 AND 4, THE NOTHERNS CONSTITUENCY 2 AND THE SOUTHERNS CONSTITUENCIES 2 AND 6.
CONCERNING THE REMAINING CONSTITUENCIES, THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES RANGES FROM THREE TO THIRTEEN FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AND THREE TO EIGHT FOR MUNICIPAL POLLS.
AOQ/MT 26-OCT-2006 20:32
HMQ
26-OCT-2006 20:14