No clear winner emerged in the by election for constituency Eight in Muharraq that was held yesterday to fill the seat vacated by former Al Asala bloc MP Ghanim Al Buainain, who was appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in April.

Out of the four candidates who contested the election, only Sameer Kadhem (with 44.47 per cent of the votes) and Abdulrahman Buali (38.29 per cent) emerged at the top.

The two will face each other in a run-off next Saturday, according to Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa.

In results that were declared late last night, Kadhem received 1,324 votes while Buali received 1,140 votes, election officials said. The other two, Mubarak Mukhaima and Hind Bucheery, received 136 and 377 votes, respectively.

According to election officials, 3,029 voters out of a total of 8,128 registered voters cast their ballots. While 2,977 were valid votes, 52 were declared to be invalid.

A second round of voting is held if no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the votes. Overseas voting will take place on Tuesday.

Election officials said only 84 people cast their votes at the Bahrain City Centre general polling centre and 111 cast their votes at Bahrain International Airport.

Voters from Muharraq's Constituency Eight, which covers Hidd, trickled in in the early hours of the morning to the Hidd Intermediate and Secondary Girls Schools, but the pace picked up during the afternoon.

Officials at the centre said around 30 per cent of the 8,128 registered voters in the constituency had cast their votes by noon.

One of the voters at the centre, 70-year-old Um Mohammed said she was voting only because one of the candidates had helped her family at a time of need.

"I have decided to vote because he is in the fray," she said as she cast her ballot accompanied by her grandson, who also voted.

Another voter, 26-year-old Ebrahim Mohammed said he was convinced his choice for MP would bring prosperity to his area. "I am sure my candidate will win," he said.

Among the voters was Al Buainain, who was spotted by the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, casting his ballot at BCC.

Bahrainis living or travelling abroad had already cast their ballots at Bahrain's embassies and consulates in Amman, Cairo, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi last week.-TradeArabia News Service