Middle East Focus: Gerrymandering Persian Gulf Style………

Arabia Deserta

Gerrymandering Persian Gulf Style………

“MANAMA - Opposition supporters in Bahrain are claiming that the government is bringing in Sunnis from outside the country and making them citizens so they can vote in next month’s elections. The critics also claimed in interviews with The National last week that the government, besides naturalising thousands of foreigners, has manipulated electoral boundaries and set up a system that will allow its supporters to vote outside their residential districts to ensure a pro-government majority is returned to parliament’s lower house in the elections. State officials would not comment about the allegations. However, a pro-government candidate, Othman al Rayes, said he has not heard of “any abnormal things”, and believes the election will be fair. Abdulnabi Alekry, the president of Bahrain Transparency Society (BTS), an NGO that will monitor both the elections for parliament and the municipality on October 23, said there is “a chronic problem with gerrymandering in the districts”. “There is no justice and the disparity will continue this year,” he said………”

Oligarchies will do what oligarchies are wont to do, always. Especially “moderate” absolute Middle East oligarchies coated with a thin veneer of something called an ~~electoral~~ selectoral system.
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com