The Government of Bahrain has assured Sunday that the first round of parliamentary elections held on the eve have registered a turnout unprecedented in two decades and have passed normally, amid criticism from NGOs for the restriction exercised by the authorities against opposition movements and after a couple of computer attacks against public institutions.
The 73 percent turnout is the highest since 2002 and is six points higher than the 2008 elections in an election, according to the Minister of Justice, Nawaf bin Mohamed al Mawda, «successful, without incident and objective», in a press conference reported by the official news agency of the kingdom, BNA.
This year, Bahrain has registered a record number of candidates, with 561 and 176 contesting, respectively, 40 and 30 seats for the lower house of parliament and municipal councils, respectively; up 20 percent compared to 2018.
DPA experts highlight the high turnout of young candidates, who are nonetheless completely loyal to the monarchy, although the overall increase in voter turnout hints at the beginnings of a generational shift in the electorate.
In any case, NGOs such as Amnesty International recall the atmosphere of repression in the country, where at least 12 prisoners of conscience, including the leaders of the 2011 protests as well as Ali Salman, head of the country’s main opposition party, Wefaq, «are currently languishing in prison».
Between 2012 and 2017, the authorities also outlawed Amal, an opposition party that had competed with Wefaq for the Shiite vote, and the non-sectarian opposition party Wad.
Although the elections have taken place without incident, the Interior Ministry reported on Saturday computer attacks against several websites, including that of the Parliament or the BNA agency itself, to «obstruct the elections and spread negative news,» reports DPA.
At the moment it is not known who is responsible for the attack, but a previously unknown group called Al Toufan (The Flood) said in a statement that the attack was a response to attempts by the «ruling regime» to violate the rights of the people.
DPA has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the statement.
