Second round of Bahrain by-election kicks off

The second round of the parliamentary by-election in Bahrain kicked off Saturday morning. Voting will be held for nine seats where no candidate received 50 per cent of the votes cast in last Saturday''s election. The two candidates with most votes from each of these constituencies will go head to head. The by-election was called to fill 18 seats vacated by MPs belonging to opposition group Al Wefaq in February. Four of those were won by candidates who ran unopposed and five were elected in last Saturday''s polls. Bahrain''s Executive Committee of the elections called upon voters to head to polling centres and choose their candidates, adding that their effective participation is a national duty that will enhance the kingdom’s landmark political and democratic achievements, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.