Bahrain General, Municipal Vote Counting Starts

Bahrain's general and municipal election vote counting has started soon after polling stations across the country closed down their doors at 19: 00 GMT, following a two-hour vote extension.



Bahrain's state television broadcasted footage of election commission staffs counting the votes inside polling stations.



The election commission decided earlier in the day to extend the vote for two hours, citing what it described as "high voter turnout."



Bahrainis started voting in their country's general and municipal elections, the first since 2011, from the early hours of the morning on Saturday, amid boycott from the opposition.



Around 349,713 voters were eligible to vote in the elections to choose 39 members for the Bahrain's parliament and 29 local councilors.



A total of 419 candidates ran in the elections, according to local media.



Candidates who fail to secure more than 50 percent of votes in their respective constituencies will be part of an election runoff after one week.



Earlier on Saturday, Bahrain's opposition expected total voter turnout not to exceed 30 percent.



"More than 80 percent of the people who showed up at polling stations were either civil servants and their families or employees at security agencies," Ali Salman, the secretary-general of the opposition Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, said.



He added in a statement that only 17 percent of voters had participated in the elections on their free will.



Al-Wefaq and other opposition movements accused the government of coercing citizens to participate in the elections.  



Bahrain has been beset by political turmoil since 2011.  



Ahmed al-Masri



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Doha