A COMMITTEE has been formed by the Public Prosecution to investigate alleged electoral crimes such as bribery, vote rigging and other violations. Public Prosecutor Dr Ali Al Buainain and Attorney-General Abdulrahman Al Sayed yesterday said the committee would probe all violations during the elections. The Public Prosecution will investigate immediately all complaints received between tomorrow and November 29, until the final results are announced, said a statement. Violators will face up to six months in jail and a BD500 fine. The issue of electoral fraud was also raised yesterday by representatives of eight local non-governmental organisations during a meeting with Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa. Bahrain Transparency Society president Abdulnabi Al Ekry, who was among those who attended, stressed the need for an open election process. We were told by the minister that on election day if the monitors notice any violations outside the polling centre, then they should contact the hotline (77277277), he said. In case there is a violation inside the polling centre, the monitors should contact the presiding judge. Among those at the meeting were representatives of the Bahrain Dialogue Society (BDS), Bahrain Human Rights Group (BHRG), Al Karama Centre, Bahrain Public Relations Association, Bahrain Small and Medium Enterprises Society, Bahrain Jurists Society and Mabadea Society for Human Rights. Meanwhile, it emerged that candidates who use social media for any last-minute campaigning during todays electoral silence will not be penalised. Election guidelines state that all campaigning must end 24 hours before the parliamentary and municipal council polls. However, an official from the High Elections Committee said the law did not specify any restrictions on social media campaigning. There are no rules governing the social media election campaigns, he told the GDN. Moreover, it is difficult to control social media campaigns and hence these campaigns are free from penalties during the 24-hour silence period, which starts at 8am today. Monitors said they will observe any election-related activities today, but admitted it was difficult to control campaigning that happens online. It should be restricted, but unfortunately it is not practical as we know, said BHRG co-ordinator Faisal Fulad. We will monitor any kind of violations apart from social media, which will go on as there is no law in Bahrain to control this, nor has there been any announcement in this regard. It is in a way a blessing for all candidates as these days we see almost all the candidates being active on Twitter and Instagram. BDS vice-president Rashid Al Ghayeb called for strict action against candidates who campaign today. We have seen in the previous two elections that candidates violated the law by not stopping their campaign 24 hours before the elections, he added. All meetings, Press conference and even promotional text messages to voters should stop by this morning. Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Zinj warned of possible protests and clashes near polling centres between tomorrow and November 29. Additionally, certain groups in Bahrain plan to disrupt traffic around the country throughout the day, said a US Embassy circular. Anticipate that alternate routes established by the police may be used to protect all citizens. Dr Al Buainain urged members of the Public Prosecution monitoring parliamentary elections to commit to impartiality to ensure voters confidence in members of the judiciary.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 08:32:32 +0000
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