MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahraini voters returned to the polls Saturday for a runoff election being boycotted by the opposition for the tiny island nation’s first new parliament since widespread Arab Spring-inspired protests nearly four years ago.
The elections will determine the makeup of the 40-seat lower house of parliament. It follows a first-round vote last weekend, when only six candidates secured an outright majority.
Bahrain is a Western ally that hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and is part of the U.S.-led coalition striking the Islamic State group. It continues to face street clashes and other low-level unrest after a February 2011 uprising led by the country’s majority Shiites.
The country’s main Shiite organization, al-Wefaq, and other groups are boycotting the election because they say the government is failing to enact political changes and address other grievances.