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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Bahrain votes on new parliament | Bahrain votes on new parliament |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| The people of the Gulf state of Bahrain have begun voting to elect a new parliament and local councils. | The people of the Gulf state of Bahrain have begun voting to elect a new parliament and local councils. |
| It is the second time people have been able to vote for representatives at a national level under a new system introduced by the King of Bahrain. | It is the second time people have been able to vote for representatives at a national level under a new system introduced by the King of Bahrain. |
| On Friday, about 2,000 people protested in the capital Manama demanding the resignation of the prime minister over alleged electoral fraud. | On Friday, about 2,000 people protested in the capital Manama demanding the resignation of the prime minister over alleged electoral fraud. |
| The former government adviser who made the allegations has been deported. | The former government adviser who made the allegations has been deported. |
| Salah al-Bandar had accused the government of plotting to ensure Sunni Muslim dominance in the elections. | Salah al-Bandar had accused the government of plotting to ensure Sunni Muslim dominance in the elections. |
| Protesters also accused Prime Minister Khalifah bin Salman al-Khalifah of granting citizenship to foreign workers in order to increase the proportion of non-Shia voters. | Protesters also accused Prime Minister Khalifah bin Salman al-Khalifah of granting citizenship to foreign workers in order to increase the proportion of non-Shia voters. |
| Foreign workers, many of them Asian, make up approximately one-third of Bahrain's 700,000 people. | Foreign workers, many of them Asian, make up approximately one-third of Bahrain's 700,000 people. |
| Voter turnout is expected to be high. | Voter turnout is expected to be high. |
| KEY FACTS Men and women over the age of 20 years can voteVoters: Population of 700,000, plus resident citizens of Gulf StatesPolitical parties banned, so candidates are organised into "political societies"National Assembly made up of 40 appointed and 40 elected members Election Q&A | KEY FACTS Men and women over the age of 20 years can voteVoters: Population of 700,000, plus resident citizens of Gulf StatesPolitical parties banned, so candidates are organised into "political societies"National Assembly made up of 40 appointed and 40 elected members Election Q&A |
| Shia voters and other opposition groups boycotted the first parliamentary elections in 2002 because they wanted more constitutional change, says the BBC's correspondent in the Gulf, Julia Wheeler. | |
| The result was a parliament of mostly pro-government MPs. | The result was a parliament of mostly pro-government MPs. |
| Many people have been disappointed with the efforts of those elected the first time around, says our correspondent, and want to see change implemented more quickly. | Many people have been disappointed with the efforts of those elected the first time around, says our correspondent, and want to see change implemented more quickly. |
| Campaigning has been lively and impassioned with economic and social issues dominating the agenda. | Campaigning has been lively and impassioned with economic and social issues dominating the agenda. |
| Unemployment among Bahraini nationals is a worry in the context of large numbers of mostly Asian migrant workers says our correspondent. | Unemployment among Bahraini nationals is a worry in the context of large numbers of mostly Asian migrant workers says our correspondent. |
| Lack of housing and unequal distribution of wealth in the kingdom are also concerns. | Lack of housing and unequal distribution of wealth in the kingdom are also concerns. |