30 October 2010 - 20:30

Thousands of Bahrainis and expatriates take to ballots on Saturday for the second round of voting in parliament and municipal council elections.

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Thousands of Bahrainis and expatriates take to ballots on Saturday for the second round of voting in parliament and municipal council elections.

Eight parliament seats are up for grabs and will be contested by 16 candidates.
Thirty-four candidates will also compete for the remaining 17 municipal council seats, including two women.

A second round takes place when no candidate achieves a majority of over 50 per cent of the votes polled.

The ballot papers of around 415 Bahrainis living abroad, who were registered to take part in the second round of voting, will be added to the results.

The country's main Shiite opposition group, the Islamic National Accord Association, won 18 of parliament's 40 seats in the first round which took place in October 23.

Around 222,600 people took part in last week's round, amounting to a turnout of almost 70 per cent.

Voting will be held at 49 polling stations around the country, 39 at main constituency centers and 10 at general locations.
Polling stations will be open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm for parliament and 8:00 am to 6:00 pm for municipal elections.

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