ELECTION HIGHLIGHTS NO. 4: CAMPAIGN VANDALISM,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001834

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2016
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM BA POL
SUBJECT: ELECTION HIGHLIGHTS NO. 4: CAMPAIGN VANDALISM,
MUNICIPAL CANDIDATES REGISTER

Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Acts of vandalism marred the election
campaign during a week when Bahrainis were celebrating the
Eid Al Fitr holiday. Vandals burned down the campaign tent
of second deputy speaker and Al Asala (Salafi) candidate
Shaikh Adel Al Ma'awada on October 22. In separate events,
hooligans wrecked independent candidate Fawzia Zainal's
campaign tent, damaging display boards and breaking lights on
October 24, and pulled down a large billboard displaying her
campaign picture and slogan on October 25. Newspaper
columnists condemned the actions. The period of registration
for municipal election candidates concluded October 24 with a
total of 171 candidates competing, including five women. The
Bahrain Transparency Society will present a voluntary code of
conduct to all election candidates on October 26 and
encourage them to sign and conduct their campaigns within the
ethical guidelines spelled out in the document. End summary.


2. (SBU) CAMPAIGN VANDALISM: In an act of campaign sabotage
that is new to Bahrain, the campaign tent of Shaikh Adel Al
Ma'awada, Council of Representatives second deputy speaker
running for reelection in Muharraq, was burned down in the
early morning hours of October 22. Al Ma'awada dismissed
speculation that one of his four competitors might be
responsible and accused "ignorant people" of committing the
act. Then on the first day of Eid Al Fitr celebrations on
October 24, an attempt to damage the campaign tent of
Northern Governorate MP Shaikh Mohamed Khalid (Al Minbar
political society--Muslim Brotherhood) was foiled when one of
Khalid's campaign security spotted two young men carrying
bottles, allegedly filled with kerosene, attempting to sneak
into the tent. The two men fled the area when discovered but
were not apprehended.


3. (SBU) Also on October 24, unidentified individuals
vandalized the campaign tent of prominent Central Governorate
independent female candidate Fawzia Zainal, head of
programming at Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation,
breaking lights, tearing down posters, and defacing display
boards. Zainal released a statement saying that the
delinquents must have been aware of the watchman's schedule
since the damage took place in a short period during which he
was away from the tent. "This is a very cowardly act that
does not reflect the good nature of the Bahraini people or
the ethics that have always guided us." In a second act of
vandalism against Zainal on October 25, vandals brought down
a large billboard displaying her campaign photo and slogan.
It appears that the billboard's foundation bolts were removed
and it was then pulled down by a vehicle. One Arabic daily
reported that there were crane tracks in the sand nearby
indicating possibly a more organized, high-level effort to
harass Zainal. Displaying her resolve to continue
campaigning, she said while standing next to the fallen
billboard, "I am not discouraged. I will continue
campaigning and hope to make it to parliament. This will be
a strong message that women will fight for their rights and
cannot be stopped."


4. (SBU) COMMENTARY ON THE VANDALISM: Arabic daily Akhbar
Al Khaleej editor-in-chief Anwar Abdulrahman wrote a
front-page editorial condemning the destructive actions
against the election campaigns of Al Ma'awada and Zainal,
saying that such acts stain the "civilized face of Bahrain
and the reputation of the people of Bahrain." He called on
clerics to respect independent candidates even if they
espouse views in conflict with those of Islamic candidates.
Columnist Abdul Men'em Ebrahim called the vandals "corrupt
and backward." Columnist Ali Sayyar wrote that the
perpetrators of these acts cannot be "normal and healthy" but
must be lacking in pride for their country.


5. (SBU) MUNICIPAL ELECTION REGISTRATION: Registration for
candidates for the 40 municipal council seats concluded
October 24 with a total of 171 candidates, among whom five
are women. This number is down sharply from the 320 who
registered for the 50 available seats in 2002, 34 of whom
were women. (Note: The number of women in the parliamentary
elections more than doubled this year to 18 candidates, up
from eight in 2002. End note.) Of the five municipal
council chairmen (one from each governorate) from last term,
only the chairman in the predominantly Sunni Southern
Governorate is running for reelection. The Central
Governorate municipal council chairman died suddenly in
September, so he was replaced by his deputy who has
registered for reelection. Municipal election campaigns
begin officially on October 28.


6. (SBU) CANDIDATE CODE OF CONDUCT: The Bahrain
Transparency Society (BTS) will hold a public gathering

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October 26 to discuss a candidate code of ethics that it has
prepared in conjunction with BTS parent organization
Transparency International. BTS has encouraged all
candidates to attend the gathering to discuss the document's
content and invitation to voluntarily sign the code of
conduct.


7. (C) In an October 26 meeting with Poloff, Bahrain Human
Rights Society (BHRS) assistant secretary general and
spokesman Dr. Abdulla Al Derazi said that Al Minbar political
society had contacted BTS to inform BTS officials that their
candidates would not take part in any discussion or signing
of a code of conduct. Al Derazi commented that BTS/BHRS had
already documented election violations by Al Minbar
candidates, including illegal placement of election posters
and alleged payouts to voters by Al Minbar president Dr.
Salah Ali, so it was unlikely that Al Minbar candidates would
voluntarily open themselves to this kind of public
accountability. (Note: Running against Ali is the strongest
female candidate, who is supported by both Al Wifaq and Wa'ad
political societies, Wa'ad member and University of Bahrain
professor Munira Fakhro. End note.)


8. (C) COMMENT: The campaign tent vandalism does not fall
into a clearly definable pattern. Whereas it could be
natural to speculate that Islamists opposed to the
involvement of women in the election might be responsible for
damage to Fawzia Zainal's campaign tent and billboard,
speculation about who might be behind the burning of Al
Ma'awada's tent and the attempt on Khalid's tent is less
intuitive. Although Zainal's resolve is strong, the
perseverance of other female independent candidates may not
be if they find themselves on the receiving end of such acts
of vandalism.

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