Sheik Ali Salman, head of the main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq
Fourteen Shiite candidates have won seats in Bahraini parliamentary elections that were boycotted by the country’s Shiite-dominated opposition.
Among the winners in the election results released yesterday were three women. The results follow runoff elections Saturday for the 40-seat lower house of parliament in the tiny Gulf island nation.
The elections were the country’s first full parliamentary elections since widespread Arab Spring-inspired protests led by the country’s Shiite majority erupted in February 2011.
Bahrain is a Sunni Muslim-ruled Western ally that hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and is part of the U.S.-led coalition striking the Islamic State group. It continues to face street clashes and other low-level unrest as Shiites press for greater political freedoms. AP
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