A Bahraini group monitoring the country’s recent election claims some voters were bribed with cash to vote for certain candidates. Bahrain Dialogue Society vice-president Rashid Al Ghayeb called on authorities to investigated allegations it received from several voters relating to both the first and second rounds of voting. He said other alleged violations included election staff using their mobile phones rather than assisting voters, no provisions in some centres for veiled female voters and some candidates continuing to campaign during the 24-hour ban leading up to the election. “In some centres, our monitors saw voters indicating to the candidate they have voted for him,” Al Ghayeb was quoted as saying by Gulf Daily News.
One candidate accused of buying votes has denied the allegation and accused his competitors of attempting to “sabotage” his campaign, the newspaper said. Four candidates in Manama who were knocked out in the first round of voting also filed a complaint against Ahmed Qarrata, who went head-to-head with Sayed Hashem Al Alawi in the second round of voting on Saturday. Qarrata said the complaint against him was an attempt to discredit him leading up to the final round of voting.
Full Article: Claims of bribery in Bahrain election – ArabianBusiness.com.