Bahrain’s Attorney General Dr. Ali Al Buainain announced on Wednesday establishing a committee consisting of a Public Prosecution panel to conduct probes into election processes and suspected crimes.
Composed of nine members, the committee will expedite procedures for revealing crimes and violations committed during elections.
“The committee is functional with immediate effect and will operate until the electoral process is completed with the election of the MPs and councilors,” he said in a statement.
“The importance of establishing this committee is in the decision-making with regards to electoral crimes that affect public civil rights, the legal system governing elections, and other associated crimes.”
The terms for selecting volunteers were posted on the elections portal on Instagram, the electronic site. Bahraini youth have started submitting their applications to volunteer in upcoming parliamentary and municipal polls.
In a related context, submitting registrations of voter lists concluded on Wednesday. For the first time in Bahrain, e-registration is being adopted.
On November 24, Bahrain will elect the members of the Chamber of Deputies, one of the two chambers of the Bahraini Parliament, and hold municipal elections simultaneously.
Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (LLOC) President Nawaf Abdulla Hamza said that the electoral lists have been uploaded to the official 2018 elections website, making it easier and more accessible for citizens.
There are four Governorates in Bahrain; the Capital, Northern, Southern, and Muharraq. Each governorate has a supervisory committee. There had previously been five until September 2014, when the Central Governorate was abolished.
On October 17, elections will be held to select 40 deputies to the new parliament, which runs until 2022.
Members of political parties dissolved by judicial rulings are barred from running in the elections. On June 11, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa approved a law banning members of opposition political societies from running in parliamentary elections.
The new law on the exercise of political rights also stipulates that those “sentenced to a felony, even if special amnesty is granted” are prohibited from running.
