Manama: Bahrain’s parliament is expected to have a new look after the parliamentary elections with changes reaching up to 70 per cent, former lawmakers have said.
“I believe that the 40-seat lower chamber will have 35 new lawmakers,” Sawsan Taqawi, the ex-MP, said. “The figure is based on people’s assessment of the outgoing parliament, the general situation in the country and social networks. There is a general dissatisfaction with the parliament in the 2010-2014 term and people tend to believe that it failed to fulfill their aspirations,” she said.
Voters will use the elections to renew the parliament in the hope for better results, she added.
“Personal convictions have remarkably changed, and voters now wish to see independent candidates carrying the constituencies, and not political societies. However, people should appreciate that the newcomers will need around two years to become fully familiar with all the tools and possibilities in the parliament,” she said, in remarks carried by local daily Al Watan. “We can see that voters have been particularly attracted by new candidates who have advanced degrees and these come from different fields,” she said.
Othman Shareef, another former MP, said that he expected changes in the constitution of the parliament to include two thirds of the members.
“Many of the outgoing lawmakers did not wish to seek re-election and this means that there will be many new faces,” he said. “Besides, the changes in the electoral districts means that there will be changes since the constituencies are now different.”
For Sami Al Buhairi, an ex-MP, the change would be up to 70 per cent.
“Some of the outgoing lawmakers did not score well among voters while some of the candidates have quite impressive portfolios,” he said.
Bahrainis will cast their ballots to elect the lawmakers for the 2014-2018 term on Saturday. In constituencies where no candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the vote, the second round will be held on November 29.
Bahrainis overseas voted on Tuesday in the 29 diplomatic missions designated as polling stations, with the Japanese capital Tokyo heading the process and the US capital Washington closing it. Officials reported a massive turnout at the centres.
