Report summary: Bahrain- ElectionsWithout Integrity

Three human rights organisations, Bahrain Forum for Human Rights, Salam for Democracy and Human Rights (SalamDHR), and Gulf Institute for Democracy andHuman Rights (GIDHR), have released a new report titled: “Bahrain- Elections WithoutIntegrity”. The report looks at the violations and legal breaches which havetaken place ahead of the upcoming 2018 elections for Bahrain’s fifthparliamentary term. The report, consisting of 44 pages, covers the followingtopics: the restricted political environment, reprisals taken against formerMPs, the constitutional makeup, forms of political isolation, the election’s violationsof international standards, the absence of international monitoring, and the marginalisationof electoral districts.

The following topics are also covered in detail: breaches ofelectoral register lists (numbering tens of thousands), unfair distribution of electoraldistricts, the role of state media in excluding opposing views, and heads ofelectoral committees involved in human rights violations.

Results

1)                 The electoral process coincided with Bahrainiauthorities shutting down the democratic space in Bahrain, restricting freedomof expression, clamping down on freedom of assembly and association, andcarrying out and escalating violations with total impunity, including: arbitraryarrests, unfair trials, citizenship revocations, torture and ill-treatment,illegal raids on homes and structures, restricting freedom of movement,prosecuting activists, hate-speech, extra-judicial killings, and dissolving politicalparties.

2)                 Governmental security campaigns have ensuedagainst 14 former MPs, targeted for exercising their free speech, including by Secretary-Generalof Al-Wefaq Sheikh Ali Salman, who chaired electoral bloc represented more than60%.

3)                 The electoral process does not abide byprinciples of integrity, efficiency and effectiveness, and lacks the confidenceof the public and political parties.

4)                 The Supreme Committee for General Supervisionof the Soundness of Elections does not abide by international electoralstandards, in terms its formation, which is appointed by the King and iscomposed of members of the executive branch, as well as its judges who are alsoappointed in contravention of international standards.

5)                  Someheads of the committees are involved in gross human rights violations, including:13 heads of supervisory centres and three heads of public centres.

6)                 The electoral process is based on an unfairelectoral system, which does not distribute electoral districts fairly amongcitizens, contravening the international electoral standard of “one vote forevery citizen”. An example of this in the area of al-Riffa (southern province) whichvotes for six parliamentary seats, comprising 15% of the parliament, whereasthe northern province, consisting of 40 areas, only votes for twelve MPs. Numberten constituency in the southern province make up only 12% of the electorate innumber twelve constituency in the northern province.

7)                 Electoral register lists prevent many fromrunning or casting their vote due to their political affiliation or havingboycotted previous elections.

8)                 The Bahraini judiciary lacks public confidenceand has been condemned by international lawyers for not being independent, carryingout sentences as a form of “political persecution”, and reflecting a false formof justice. As such, it is impossible to be confident in its role in overseeingthe electoral process and granting voter rights, including the right to vote orrun as a candidate.

9)                 Press freedom in Bahrain has reached a dangerousscale, and violations against journalists continue, including: extrajudicialkillings, arbitrary arrests, unfair trials, the monopoly of state TV, radio andnewspapers, the closing down of al-Wasat newspaper, withdrawing journalismlicences for foreign journalists, and arresting and fining journalists for“working without a permit”.

10)              State media continues to carrying out incitementagainst the opposition for exercising its free speech, and this has beenreflected in the behaviour of state media towards the elections. Aftermonitoring a total of 2070 media articles from the four state newspapersbetween 20 October 2017 and 21 November 2018, the percentage of opinions opposingthe electoral process was 0%. Furthermore, 81 media articles from these same newspapersincluded incitement against human rights defenders, political activists andcitizens.

11)             By monitoring what was published on Bahrain stateTV and the official website of the Bahrain News Agency, we found the following

-TV programmes- by comparing four electoralprogrammes from 29 August 2018 and 21 November 2018 we found the following:

Total duration of programs: 945: 02minutes, total number of guests: 75 guests, total public opinion reviews: 25,total of Tv reports: 32, in addition to 13 Tv reports reviewed 64 tweets, andtotal episodes offered: 44 episodes, and by analyzing 14 short advertisingbreaks were held between 15/11/2018 and 18/11/2018, in which been reviewed 243times, and through monitoring of the election news published by the officialBahrain News Agency (BNA) from 10/09/2018 until 21/11/2018, during which 103media items were published about the elections, as well as that thediscrimination been imposed on the candidates while presenting their"electoral program" through the exclusion of some of candidates, aswell as the distinction between the candidates themselves, who have registeredtheir participation in the time available to them, and these are some models:candidate in the first district in the northern province: 5 seconds, 7 seconds,and a candidate in the first circle in the province of Muharraq: 8 seconds, acandidate in the sixth circle in Muharraq was given only 10 seconds

• 0% of the opinion of theopposition to the elections in these programs were presented.

• 0% opinion of the opposition tothe elections among the guests.

• 0% of the opinion of theopposition to the elections in the public opinion surveys.

• 0% impartiality in conducting dialoguesand presenting programs.

• 0% coverage in reviewing differentmoderate views on elections

12) The public voting centers are one of theelectoral scandals used by the Bahraini authorities in the electoral processand raise doubts, especially with the lack of capacity to be monitored by localand international organizations in real terms. Some opposition politicalparties have spoken in previous electoral trials about complaints of fraud inthe centers and the ability of the Bahraini authorities to benefit from the“floating votes” of new naturalized citizens in these centers. The analysis ofsome of these models in the capital province is shown as follows: The distancebetween the first voting center and the general center is (1500 meters), can bederived by car in 6 minutes, and from the third voting center to the nextgeneral center is (850 meters) which can be traveled by car in 3:15 minutes,and the fourth voting center and the next general center is (1250 meters) canbe traveled by car in 5 minutes, and analysis shows some of these models in thesouthern province the distance between the first voting center and the generalcenter is (1500 meters) and can be traveled by car in 6 minutes!

13) The official intimidation measures werelaunched through the Ministry of the Interior that any news or messages callingfor boycotting the upcoming parliamentary elections and referral of thoseimplicated to the Public Prosecutor\\\'s Office (6 October 2018). After rumorsspread, and intimidation for those who boycott the electoral process; it hasdeliberately a cyber crime not to carry out its responsibility and legal laxityin pursuing the source of those rumors; and some of these rumors been confirmedby the president of the current parliament, Ahmed Al-Mulla, who won 22 votes inthe Sub-Committee in the 2014 elections, which raises doubts about theexistence of official complicity in attributing the war of rumors againstcitizens, as well as the complaints we received about the exposure of somecitizens to blackmail by denying them their general services, housing benefitsor economic rights if they boycotted the election.

Second: Recommendations

1. Form an independent committeewith the participation of civil society institutions to manage the elections.

2. Distribute constituencies fairlyand in conformity with the international parameters, and achieve balance andequality among citizens in terms of the electoral vote, according to theprinciple, “one vote for each citizen,” or make Bahrain one constituency.

3. Achieve the principle ofseparation of powers so that the legislative authority can play its role awayfrom the hegemony of the executive authority.

4. Obtain the highest levels ofinternational supervision over the elections.

5. Abolish the project of politicalisolation, enable all citizens to participate freely and effectively in theelections, cancel the decisions of dissolving political associations and givethem real space to practice freedom of political action, and release politicalleaders.

6. Release all prisoners ofconscience, stop violations, put an end to the policy of impunity, and holdthose responsible for violations accountable.

7. Immediately implement therecommendations of the committee of the International Covenant on Civil andPolitical Rights, the Independent Commission of Inquiry and the UniversalPeriodic Review of 2012 and 2017.

8. Suspend provocative media coverageby the official media and implement recommendation no. 1724 of the BahrainIndependent Commission of Inquiry.

9. Legislate a law that guaranteesthat an independent body manages the elections and allows internationalorganizations to monitor the elections.

10. Abolish all legislations anddecisions that restrict public freedoms, violate the rights of citizenship orundermine freedom of assembly and association.

11. Abolish legislations and lawsthat confiscate the right to vote and run for office.

12. Cancel public electoral centers.

13. Allow the formation and work ofpolitical opposition parties without hindrance.

14. Publish voter lists andelectoral blocs transparently.

15. Work on finding politicalagreements through direct dialogue with all opposition factions to ensure theirparticipation in the elections, within the framework of the nationalreconciliation project, to achieve comprehensive political reform, while theUnited Nations provide help afterwards through its supervision of the elections.