Still, the Shi'ite opposition failed to win a majority of the 40-seat
House of Representatives. At the same time, two Sunni pro-regime parties —
Al Asalah and Menbar — dropped from 15 to two seats in the Oct. 23
elections.
A second round of elections — meant to decide nine seats — was
scheduled for Oct. 30. Authorities reported a 70 percent turnout in the
first round.
The Sunni majority bloc in parliament was highlighted by independents.
Al Wefaq has been mulling a coalition with two members of the Al Waad party,
two candidates of which were preparing to face a second round. Should the
two Al Waad candidates win, Bahrain could face a split parliament.
"Regardless, it will be far more interesting to have the ruling and
opposition group divided into two equal halves in the house," Hussein said.
Still, Al Wefaq claimed that nearly 1,000 Shi'ites were turned away from
the polls on election day. For their part, Sunnis complained that Islamist
candidates were removed from the ballot because of government pressure.
More than 250 Shi'ites have been arrested since August 2010 on
allegations of seeking to undermine the Sunni kingdom, host to the U.S.
Navy's Fifth Fleet. Twenty-three of the Shi'ites have been charged with
plotting to overthrow the government with help from unidentified foreign
elements.
"The arrest of the accused was based on the escalation of incitement,
violence and vandalism," Bahraini spokesman Fawaz Bin Al Khalifa said.