“Some 22 people belonging to groups were arrested on Saturday and a legal action is being taken against them as part of the Ministry of Interior’s resolve to check attempts to break the law,” General Coordinator of Parliamentary Bye-elections at the Ministry of Interior and General Director of Guards Brigadier Abdullah bin Saif Al Nuaimi, said.
“A number of polling centers in the Capital, Central and Northern Governorates were targeted by vandals to hinder the ongoing polling process,” he said.
Giving details, Al Nuaimi said that a group of thugs had gathered to block some roads near polling stations in the three governorates, while other groups poured grease on the ground near the polling centre in Sanabis to disrupt traffic movement to prevent the public from voting. “They also stoned and damaged several cars belonging to citizens in the parking area of the polling centre in A’ali,” he said.
He said that these acts by lawbreakers necessitated the intervention of the security forces to ensure the voting process should progress smoothly and also facilitating citizens to perform their national duty of casting votes in a secure and safe environment.
He said that the groups’ actions were meant to disrupt the by-elections where citizens were keen to vote in order to exercise their right to exercise their political participation to ensure the success of the reforms project of His Majesty the King.