PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AFTER EID?

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAMA 000980

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BA POL HUMRIT
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AFTER EID?

Classifie By: William T. Monroe. Reasons: 1.4 (B)(D)

1.(C) Although the government has still not formally
announced a date for parliamentary elections, indications are
that they will be held in late October or early November,
just after the post-Ramadan Eid al-Fitr holiday. Minister of
Industry and Commerce Hassan Fakhro told the Ambassador June
3 that he expects the elections to be held in early November,
with the new parliament convening in early December. On June
4, the local press reported parliamentary sources as
indicating that the new Parliament would convene on December
2, following elections that would be held after the Eid
al-Fitr holiday (projected for October 23-25).


2. (C) Fakhro stated that parliamentary and municipal
elections would be held at the same time this cycle (in 2002,
municipal elections were held in the spring, parliamentary
elections in the fall). He said this was being done solely
for practical administrative and cost-savings purposes. He
thought that holding the elections together might increase
overall turnout.


3. (C) Separately, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Legal
Affairs (and former Minister of Justice) Jawad Al-Arrayed
stated to the Ambassador that the King has told the Prime
Minister to get ready for a new parliament headed Al-Wifaq
Chairman Shaikh Ali Salman. Al-Arrayad said that the King is
fully prepared for a strong performance in the election by
Al-Wifaq, which boycotted the last election. He stated that
the last four years had been useful for giving Ministers a
taste of what it is like to be grilled by parliamentarians
about issues under their purview. The next four years, he
stated, will be much tougher for the Ministers and the
government.


4. (C) Comment: Given the timing of the summer holidays and
Ramadan, a post-Eid elections timeframe makes sense. Holding
elections in early September just before Ramadan would have
made campaigning more difficult, as many people are away on
vacation in August. Having the elections just after Ramadan
will give candidates a good opportunity to take advantage of
the Ramadan majlis tradition to help get their message out.

Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/

MONROE