Poor Turnout in Boycotted Bahrain By-Elections

W300

A low turnout on Saturday marked the start of polling in Bahraini by-elections boycotted by the Shiite opposition after it walked out of parliament over violence against pro-democracy activists.

The elections are being held to replace 18 MPs of the main Shiite opposition formation Al-Wefaq, who resigned in February shortly after protests triggered a deadly response from the authorities in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom.

In total, 55 candidates are vying for 14 seats in the 40-member chamber after four won their seats for lack of candidates.

Only a dozen people were present on Saturday morning when the polling station opened in the fifth northern district, near the Shiite village of Saar outside Manama, witnesses said.

"I came because this is my country. I'm unemployed but it's not a reason not to vote," said Ali Ahmed al-Jamri, 34, a Shiite electrician who has been without work for three years.

The government had called on the 187,000 registered voters to turn out en masse.

The authorities are also considering penalizing eligible voters who boycott the polls, including firing them from their jobs, according to a Wednesday report in Al-Ayyam daily, which is close to the regime.

The election is taking place after hundreds of youths were dispersed on Friday afternoon by tear gas as they tried to reach a Manama junction that used to be Pearl Square, epicenter of the month-long protest quashed in mid-March.

The square, which became a symbol of the protest inspired by uprisings sweeping the Arab World, was razed shortly after the demonstrators were driven out.

Youth groups have called for a new march Saturday towards the same site, to protest against the elections in Bahrain, as Al-Wefaq declared polling day a "day to mourn democracy."

Bahrain's authorities say 24 people were killed in the unrest earlier this year, including four policemen. The opposition puts the death toll at 30.