3 Bahraini women head for second round of polls

Three Bahraini women will contest for the second round of polls on Oct. 1 after no winner was declared in nine out of the 14 constituency. More than 187,000 were eligible to vote in 14 constituencies for parliament by-election. Winners were declared in five constituencies while re-polling will take place in the remaining areas. Sawsan Taqawi earlier this month became the second female Member of Parliament (MP) to win a seat and joined the ranks with MP Lateefa Al Gaoud, the only woman lawmaker since 2006. The three women contesting for second round of voting are Sumaya Al Jowder, Ebtisam Abdul Rahman Hijris and Seema Ahmed Al Lingawi. "I think there will be at least two female MPs being elected this time," MP Al Gaoud told Xinhua. She said it was a good sign that voters actually felt that women could hold top posts and felt that key women issues could be raised in the parliament. Al Jowder, an active Aids campaigner is contesting from Central Governorate. "I want to win by voting and not by my male rival stepping down. I believe women can compete for seats and this by-election voters have showed confidence in us," she said. The Bahrain doctor polled 1,125 votes while her rival Osama Abdul Hamid Al Khajah polled 1, 825 votes. Hijris got 259 votes while her competitor polled Hashim Abdul Gafar Al Alawi polled 280 votes. Another women candidate, Lingawi polled 2,092 votes and her rival Mohammed Salim Buqais got 2,340 votes. In total, the three women received 3,476 votes. The polls were head amid tight security as anti-government protestors clashed with police in a bid to disrupt the electoral process. The Interior Ministry said it arrested 22 people attempting to affect the voting by pelting stones at vehicles and pouring grease on roads near polling center in Sanabis.