Race hots up for BCCI posts
Manama : With 10 times more ballots to be cast than the previous years, voter registration to elect the 29th board of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) ended yesterday as major blocs continued their electioneering marred by accusations of a smear campaign and a lawsuit questioning the legitimacy of the electoral roll maintained by the Chamber.
Brushing aside the lawsuit challenging the electoral roll as “baseless accusations,” BCCI’s election committee chairperson, Jassim Hassan Abdul’aal, told DT News that preparations are in full swing for the biggest-ever Chamber elections with around 50,000 businesspersons already registered to cast their votes on March 10.
All blocs confident
All major blocs who have announced their candidature with optimism, as they continue to woo voters in an election that mandates all commercial registration holders to be BCCI members.
That makes the chamber a cosmopolitan body truly representing the rich and diverse cross-section of Bahraini society. Considering the number of businesspeople added, the Chamber is also expected to generate to the tune of BD 100,000 just in membership fees.
The competition has generated much steam, with the major blocs showing strength not just in the number of candidates fielded, but also featuring themselves in social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram targeting the old and the young alike.
“There are many new faces coming up and all are equally competitive,” Batool Mohammed Dadabhai representing Tojjar bloc told DT News. “I believe Tojjar 2018 have the perfect combination,” she added. Asked about the chances of Al Ghad bloc, Candidate Eman Nooruddin said they are meeting with businesspersons of different sectors. “Our plan is to talk to as many people as we can,” she said. An optimistic Mohammed Sajid UlHaq of Sharaka Bloc, which also has sitting chamber members, said their chances are bright. “We have a good percentage of old and new and this is an advantage,” he said.
Earlier this month, an audio clip in which a woman was heard offering incentives to a potential voter, allegedly on behalf of Sharaka Bloc had circulated online. Sharaka called it a dirty tactic and said they would take legal action. Asked whether the campaign is getting murkier, Mohammed Sajid Ul Haq told DT News that people should not practice fake propaganda. “We have read and heard many messages that are fake which is not good or healthy for the election, he said.
Eman Nooruddin of Al Ghad said they are confident that the elections will be smooth. “ The BCCI committee has been working to make this election as transparent as possible,” she added. Batool Mohammed Dadabhai expressed confidence that no one will indulge in malpractice. “ Everyone is on high alert,” she said.
The election is held under the supervision of an autonomous election consisting of eight members and a head which is responsible for receiving and reviewing applications for board membership candidacy and supervising the elections process. The voter list prepared by the committee will include the name of the member entitled to vote, business type, and commercial address. The elections committee receives the nomination applications 15 days prior to the elections date, that is March 10. The nominations will be closed five days prior to the elections date, says the BCCI bylaw, which regulates the election process.
Case filed
Meanwhile, despite the election committee assuring that the BCCI’s voter database cannot be tampered with, a group of voters have decided to challenge the election committee.
“We have the proof, otherwise we would not file a case,” said Lawyer Saad Jaber Aldsoeri who has moved the High Administrative Court on behalf of his clients whose names are not disclosed yet. The lawsuit demands that only company owners whose commercial registrations (CRs) are registered with the government should be allowed to vote. It also demands that judges should supervise the polls, not BCCI officials. “This is nothing personal against the election committee,” said Saad Jaber Aldoseri, adding that BCCI’s voter database is vulnerable to manipulation. The lawsuit is up for the first hearing on February 25.
“We have taken all precaution necessary to keep the database updated and safe,” said the election committee chairperson, Jassim Hassan Abdul’aal. “The claims are based on rumors,” he added.
Bahrain has around 100,000 CR holders and the election committee is expected to announce the final count of registered voters today. A new seven-member bloc, Taawon 2018, will announce their candidature today. And the battle is only heating up with more independents expected to enter the fray.
(With additional reporting by Supriya Reginald/ DTNN supriya@dt.bh )
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