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Bahrain holds first elections since Arab Spring, Shias boycott

In its first election in three years, Bahrain's government called on all voters to cast ballots despite a boycott proclaimed by the country's Shia-led opposition.

By Fred Lambert
A Bahraini woman anti-government protesters participate in a march, in Diraz, Bahrain, west of the capital of Manama as they get caught in a cloud of tear gas fired by police , in April 21, 2012, Heavy security presence was in place in Bahrain on 22 April for the country's Grand Prix, with minor clashes reported between youths and police. UPI/Khaled Jawhar
A Bahraini woman anti-government protesters participate in a march, in Diraz, Bahrain, west of the capital of Manama as they get caught in a cloud of tear gas fired by police , in April 21, 2012, Heavy security presence was in place in Bahrain on 22 April for the country's Grand Prix, with minor clashes reported between youths and police. UPI/Khaled Jawhar | License Photo

MANAMA, Bahrain, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- The Gulf nation of Bahrain held elections Saturday for the first time since the 2011 Arab Spring amid a boycott by the country's Shia opposition groups.

The parliamentary elections are the first since the government violently cracked down on protests by the country's majority Shia population three years ago. Bahrain's ruling Sunni family, the Khalifas, was assisted by military forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- also Sunni monarchies -- to suppress the massive anti-government protest in March 2011.

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Since then negotiations have been unsuccessful, and despite the government's call for all citizens to cast a ballot, Shia-led opposition groups have ordered a boycott of the elections, calling them a "sham" and an attempt to consolidate absolute rule. Shia groups have demanded a prime minister independent of the ruling Sunni family.

The largest of the Shia political opposition groups, Al-Wefaq, was suspended by a Bahraini court last month based on irregular organization of its annual meetings. In July a U.S. diplomat was ordered by the government in Manama to leave Bahrain after he met with leaders from the same group.

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Home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, Bahrain has seen a rise in sectarian violence in the last three years, including the recent bombing of a vehicle belonging to a candidate running for office.

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