ELECTION HIGHLIGHTS NO. 3: CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001814 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM BA POL SUBJECT: ELECTION HIGHLIGHTS NO. 3: CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF, SHAIKH ISA QASSEM TELLS SHI'A TO VOTE Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: By the conclusion of the official registration period for parliamentary candidates, a total of 221 have registered, 18 of whom are women. The official campaign period opens October 20. In his Friday sermon on October 13, Shaikh Isa Qassem, chairman of the Islamic Scholars Council (Shi'a),encouraged the Shi'a community to vote in the November elections. There are indications that the ten general polling stations, at which citizens from any of Bahrain's 40 districts may vote and have it registered to their district of residence, may be scrapped after political societies expressed concerns about the stations being unnecessary and vulnerable to impropriety. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) REGISTRATION WRAP-UP: The registration period for parliamentary candidates concluded October 16 with a total of 221 candidates applying. Eighteen of the registrants are women, including the first woman MP in an Arab Gulf state, Latifa Al Qa'oud, who is running unopposed in her district (septel). Of the 40 incumbents, 29 have registered in hopes of being re-elected. The number of independent candidates is ¶120. Thirty-five identify themselves as clerics. Leading Shi'a political society Al Wifaq has the largest block of candidates at 18, including six clerics. The five-week campaign period will officially open October 20 and extend through November 24. The Ministry of Justice allowed a three-day appeals process between the close of registration and the start of the official campaign. The Bahrain Transparency Society issued a statement October 19 acknowledging that the registration process, for the most part, ran smoothly. ¶3. (SBU) SHAIKH ISA THUMBS UP: During his Friday sermon October 13, chairman of the Islamic Scholars Council Shaikh Isa Qassem encouraged the Shi'a community to participate in the upcoming elections. He said, "Even though this reform experiment is not perfect, if the deputies are loyal to public issues and do their jobs faithfully, then the government will be to blame if there is little progress. Further boycotts will pull us out of the political struggle and will not offer any gains in return." Some likened his announcement to that of Grand Ayatollah Sistani when he encouraged Iraqi Shi'a to vote in the Iraqi elections. Qassem was in favor of participation in the 2002 elections, but Al Wifaq and other Shi'a groups decided to boycott in protest over the 2002 constitution. ¶4. (SBU) GENERAL POLLING STATIONS: Political society sources told Arabic daily Al Waqt October 19 that Minister of Justice Mohamed Ali Al Sitri has conveyed to top GOB leadership the concerns of political societies regarding the ten general polling stations. The sources predict that GOB leadership will issue a decree to cancel the use of these polling stations. (Note: General polling stations, which can accommodate voters from any of the 40 districts, were used in the 2002 elections in addition to the 40 district polling stations--one in each district--so that citizens could vote with some level of anonymity. This was especially important in 2002 because four political societies boycotted the elections. The general polling stations allowed citizens who felt pressure not to vote in their own communities to vote in an alternate venue. End note.) Political societies made the argument this year that there is no boycott and therefore no need for general polling stations. Election officials said that general polling stations were to be made available this year for the convenience of voters whose work is not close to their district station, who may be traveling on election day (the airport and Saudi causeway are likely locations for general polling stations),or who may have some other business at a distance from their home district. Some politicians have argued that the general polling stations could be used by Saudi nationals holding Bahraini citizenship or newly naturalized citizens to influence election outcomes in close races. ¶5. (C) WOMEN CANDIDATES: In an October 18 conversation with Poloff, Mariam Al Rowaie, Women's Union president and parliamentary candidate running against independent Salafi incumbent Jasim Al Saeedi, described phone calls she has received from known callers supporting Al Saeedi and encouraging her to withdraw from the race. She also has seen text messages sent by Islamists in her district claiming it is against Islamic teachings (haram) to vote for women. In describing her district as a mix of modest Bahrainis and poor naturalized citizens, Al Rowaie said that Al Saeedi and other Islamists in her district have exploited this reality by distributing large sums of Zakat money which, according to her, they receive from Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti businessmen. She said they distribute 40 BD ($106) per person. And those MANAMA 00001814 002 OF 002 working for Al Saeedi in this distribution scheme have earned enough to buy property and build homes in the district. ¶6. (SBU) In the press October 19, Al Saeedi admitted distributing money but claimed he gives to citizens in all of Bahrain including "Sitra and East Rifa'a" (Shi'a areas). He claimed he started distributing money many years before becoming a member of parliament and denied that the money was used as part of his election campaign. Al Rowaie called on election authorities to take action against this "manipulation of the election." She also called on the GOB to monitor Friday sermons to ensure that what is said there will not unduly influence voters. ¶7. (SBU) During his Friday sermon October 13, a Sunni cleric in the Central Governorate called upon voters not to vote for women in the elections as it is haram. Women candidates in the district where the mosque is located expressed their anger and called for the Supreme Council for Women (SCW) to intervene. Sources said that the SCW was discussing the case and considering possible action. ¶8. (SBU) POSSIBLE ELECTION MISDEMEANORS: Deputy Chairman and spokesperson of Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) Dr. Abdulla Al Derazi said that the society had already started observing the election process. He said that there was evidence of violations related to the official start of the campaign season. Some candidates had taken advantage of Ramadan-related social and sporting activities by posting their pictures at the event locations, a practice not permitted until the beginning of the official campaign period. Al Derazi also indicated that BHRS had received calls from citizens saying that the Central Informatics Organization had made available vacant plots of land near their residences for use by some candidates for campaign-related activities. ¶9. (SBU) NEW SHURA COUNCIL: Arabic daily Al Ayam reported that there are approximately 250 individuals being considered for the new Shura Council, while approximately half of the former Shura members will likely be asked back for another term. Sources said that the number of women in the new Shura Council will depend on how many women are elected to the COR so that there are a total of 10 women between the Council of Representatives (COR) and the Shura. (Note: There are currently six women in the Shura and none in the COR. End note.) The names of the new Shura members will be announced after the elections. ¶10. (C) COMMENT: Shaikh Isa Qassem's announcement is significant for the Shi'a community, giving a boost to Al Wifaq and other Shi'a political societies. It also serves to undercut a fairly small but growing influence from the Haq Movement to disenchant voters and pull them away from their inclination to participate in the process. Haq has been fairly aggressive in reaching out, especially to young Shi'a voters, encouraging them to continue the boycott. As for the potential scrapping of general polling stations, it could be a particularly satisfying victory to the opposition, as they have long raised their voices in dismay that in 2002, Saudis with Bahraini passports were able to vote in cognito at general polling stations and influence close races around the island. ********************************************* ******** Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/ ********************************************* ******** MONROE