I need to consider boycotting the Bo$ton Globe.
Related: Bahrain Bans Opposition
Then it really isn't an election, is it?
"Boycott muddies Bahrain election; Country holds first major vote since uprising" by Reem Khalifa and Adam Schreck, Associated Press November 23, 2014
MANAMA, Bahrain — Voters in Bahrain cast ballots Saturday in the island kingdom’s first full parliamentary election since Arab Spring-inspired protests nearly four years ago, but a boycott by opposition groups overshadowed the vote and highlighted the sectarian-charged divisions gripping this strategic US ally.
The country’s most organized Shi’ite group, al-Wefaq, and other opposition organizations urged supporters to stay away from the polls.
They have accused the government of failing to enact political reforms and address other grievances that were at the heart of the February 2011 uprising that pitted an opposition movement dominated by the country’s Shi’ite majority against supporters of the Sunni monarchy.
The elections are being closely watched not only by Bahrain’s Western allies but also by Gulf neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that themselves are led by Sunni hereditary rulers.
Bahraini authorities backed by security forces from neighboring Gulf states crushed the 2011 uprising. But street protests, petrol-bomb attacks, and other low-level unrest continue to roil the country, which hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet and is part of the United States-led coalition striking the Islamic State group.
Several opposition activists remain behind bars after convictions related to the 2011 unrest, and a number of prominent human rights advocates are awaiting verdicts on charges they say are politically motivated.
A total of 419 candidates were running for municipal and parliamentary seats Saturday. Any candidates who do not secure more than 50 percent of the vote will head to a runoff a week later.
The elections will determine the makeup of the 40-seat lower house of Parliament, which has limited direct powers but carries important symbolism as part of political reforms begun more than a decade ago. Members of the upper house are appointed by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, whose family controls most senior government posts. The king’s uncle, Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, has served as the unelected prime minister for more than four decades.
I'm tired of symbolic imagery and illusion dominating my newspaper.
Many voters in areas dominated by Shi’ites, who have long complained of discrimination and political persecution, said they were heeding calls to boycott.
‘‘Everyone here is either in jail, killed, tortured, or dismissed from their job,’’ said Zahra Mohammed, a homemaker from the Shi’ite-heavy community of Sanabis, west of the capital, Manama. ‘‘How I can vote while the government is still doing what I just mentioned? . . . They did not offer anything to make things better.’’
A polling center in Riffa, a primarily Sunni community south of the capital that is home to many supporters of the ruling family, was visibly busier during a visit by Associated Press journalists. Badriya Malallah, a retired civil servant, said she considered voting to be a national duty.
Must be on the up-and-up then.
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Not much mouth coming from the U.S. on those human rights abuses:
"Bahrain holds vote for parliament boycotted by main Shi’ite group" by Glen CareyBloomberg News November 22, 2014
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Bahrain is holding elections in the face of a boycott by the largest Shi’ite-Muslim opposition group more than three years after deadly protests targeting Sunni rule of the Persian Gulf island nation.
A total of 419 candidates will run for parliamentary and municipal council seats in Saturday’s vote, the Directorate of Election and Referendum, based in the capital, Manama, said in a statement on its website. Public security chief Tariq al-Hassan said the police will ‘‘monitor groups or individuals’’ that try to hinder balloting or threaten national security.
Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, faced the most violent demonstrations among the Gulf Cooperation Council states during the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, with mainly Shi’ite-Muslim protesters demanding greater democracy. Backed by security forces from other GCC states, Bahrain cracked down on the protests, leaving 35 people dead, and has suppressed smaller demonstrations.
Yeah, those two things don't seem to go together well.
‘‘The government has made minor concessions to the opposition in an effort to quell unrest and appear conciliatory, but has not made substantive political reform,’’ Patricia Letayf, a Middle East analyst at Control Risks, said in response to e-mailed questions.
Last month al-Wefaq, the country’s largest Shi’ite bloc, said it would boycott the vote. More than two weeks later the Justice Ministry banned the activities of the group for three months, saying it failed to comply with rules when holding meetings.
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at the time that the ruling ‘‘runs contrary to fostering an environment of political inclusion.’’
But they aren't making much of a stink about it.
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While in the neighborhood:
"83 Islamist groups dubbed terrorists
DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates designated the Muslim Brotherhood and 82 other Islamist groups as terrorist organizations Saturday, ratcheting up the pressure on the group by lumping it together with extremists such as the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. The federation’s Cabinet adopted the designations, the state news agency said (AP)
Police arrest five suspected militants
RABAT — Police have arrested five suspected militants with ties to extremist groups in the southern city of Marrakesh, the nation’s top tourist destination. The statement from the Interior Ministry said the men were arrested Saturday and three had ties to the Islamic State group in Syria (AP)."
"Monaco to celebrate birth of its royal twins
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco are expecting twins next month, the palace of the Riviera principality [announced]. Prince Albert [said] that the first child born will be heir to the throne — unless a boy and a girl are born, in which case the boy becomes royal heir. Albert, 56, who has two children out of wedlock, married Charlene, a South African, in 2011 (AP).
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Emirates jails man over social media posts
