Fair campaign practices between candidates urged

Manama, Oct31 (BNA)Southern Governor Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al-Khalifa urged citizens to exercise their constitutional right and vote for Bahrain in the upcoming legislative and municipal elections, scheduled to be held on November22. The Governor said that the success of the elections would depend on fair and honest campaign practices between candidates and the voters’ awareness in casting their ballots in favour of the most eligible postulants. In a statement to Bahrain News Agency (BNA), he called upon candidates to abide by the law in conducting their campaigns so as to reflect Bahrain’s democratic strides under the national project led by HM the King and the Government. He urged candidates to commit to fair and honest campaign practices and avoid spreading rumors to defame their opponents, stressing the importance of promoting electoral programmes that best cater to their constituencies’ needs. He stressed the importance for voters to visit the candidates’ campaign headquarters and scrutinize and assess the viability of their electoral platforms so as to ensure ballots are cast for the most eligible, taking into account the national interests above all other considerations. In the statement, the Governor urged all legislative and municipal candidates to abide by the rules set by the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to regulate electoral campaigns in the line with the law provisions. A H N