New house new hopes

Independents, youngsters and women lawmakers are making the new parliament special as the Kingdom elected its highest policy-framing body yesterday. Those elected yesterday will join the nine MPs and seven municipal councillors who were elected in the first round of elections held on November 24.

Youngsters aged between 20 and 30 made up a huge percentage of the voters that participated in the parliamentary and municipal elections. Young Bahrainis were the majority who voted at the elections this time around, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa revealed.

He said that the high percentage of female participation as candidates is another encouraging factor about this year’s elections. The minister revealed the details and his thoughts while speaking during a press conference after the closing of the polls last evening. “The high number of young Bahrainis who came to the polling stations to cast their votes is highly encouraging for us. “The high participation of the 20 to 30 year olds show that the young people understand and appreciate the democratic system that this elections achieves. It shows their belief and understanding of their rights and duties.”

“I would like to thank the leadership for their unwavering support throughout the process. I would also like to thank the Ministry of Interior for their strong support during the elections in taking all the necessary steps to ensure security as well as the Ministry of Information for their support,” he said.