ISTANBUL

Bahraini voters went to polling stations on Saturday to cast ballots in the country’s parliamentary and municipal elections.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and will close at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT).

There are 344,713 eligible voters in Saturday’s vote to elect 40 members of the House of Representatives and 30 for local councils from among 507 candidates.

Bahrainis living abroad cast their ballot in the polls on Nov. 8. in 37 stations worldwide.

Saturday’s vote is boycotted by the country’s main opposition groups, including the Islamic Al-Wafa Party and Al-Wefaq National Society, which were blacklisted by the Gulf country.

The last parliamentary elections in Bahrain were held in 2018.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar