2010 Bahraini general election

Several opposition groups in Bahrain called for a boycott of the elections. The Haq Movement, led by Hasan Mushaima, along with the Al-Wafa Islamic Movement of Abdulwahab Hussain and the Bahrain Freedom Movement of Saeed al-Shehabi, issued a joint statement urging citizens not to participate.^[3] Separately, the Khalas Movement and the Islamic Action Society also called for a boycott, arguing that taking part in the elections would be “tantamount to accepting the unjust sectarian apartheid system.”

Ahead of the elections, there were reports of arrests and repression targeting the Shia Muslim majority. Shia political activists and international human rights organizations warned that Bahrain was experiencing a “drift back to full-blown authoritarianism.” In response, Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa stated that the arrests were “not linked to elections.”^[4] Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Project on Middle East Democracy all documented government crackdowns and arrests in the lead-up to the vote.^{[citation needed]}

The elections were overseen by the Higher Committee for the Supervision of the Fairness of Referendums and Council Member Elections, a body that was not independent. Its chairman was the Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, himself appointed by the King, and the committee’s members were also nominated by the minister.^{[citation needed]}

A total of 292 Bahraini observers from domestic non-governmental organizations monitored the elections, but foreign observers were not permitted.^[5]

On election day, allegations of irregularities were reported. Ali Salman of Al Wefaq claimed that at least 890 voters in predominantly Shia districts were unable to vote because their names were missing from the electoral lists. He noted that this figure was likely an undercount and that the party was compiling reports from affected voters to challenge the official results presented by the government.^[6]

More than 318,000 people were eligible to vote.^[5] Head of the electoral commission and Justice Minister, Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa, gave an estimate of "at least 67 percent" turnout, less than the 72% in 2006, but significantly higher than 53.4% in 2002.^[4] 127 candidates stood in the election.^{[citation needed]}

Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats, one more than in the previous election.^{[citation needed]} Shia and independent candidates won a majority of seats for the first time.^{[citation needed]}

More information Party, First round ...

Party		First round			Second round			Total seats	+/–
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	Al Wefaq			18			0	18	+1
	Al Asalah			2			1	3	–2
	Al-Menber Islamic Society			0			2	2	–5
	Independents			11			6	17	+6
Total				31			9	40	0
Registered voters/turnout		318,668	–		171,000	–
Source: IPU

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Shia cleric and MP Sheikh Ali Salman lauded the result and called for a "more positive" stance from the government. "The most important message for the government is that Al Wefaq (INAA) is the largest political association in Bahrain. The people's will must be respected and dealt with positively."^[4]

A local analyst, Obaidaly al-Obaidaly, said the press campaign that accompanied the arrests resulted in a favourable outcome for Al Wefaq. "The Shiites who were hesitant or intended to boycott the elections voted overwhelmingly in favour of Al Wefaq, the representative of their community. Baqer al-Najar, a sociology professor at the University of Bahrain also said "The way the media handled the security situation which prevailed prior to the elections unexpectedly raised Al Wefaq's shares. Shiites felt that they were targeted so they voted intensely for Al Wefaq despite their restlessness with its performance throughout the past four years."^[4]

Following the 2011 Bahraini protests, all 18 Al Wefaq MPs resigned from parliament.^[7]