The end of the beginning as Bahrain goes to the polls

Later this month, Bahrain will enter a new era with its first parliamentary elections since 1973. Edmund O'Sullivan and Tom Everett-Heath examine the prospects for the island kingdom and interview Bahrain's Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa. At dawn on 24 October, for the first time in a generation, the polling booths will open in Bahrain for parliamentary elections. When they close, the Gulf's first constitutional monarchy will have become a practical reality. It may have taken longer than some might have hoped, but the political reforms are irrevocable. Says Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa: "The parliamentary initiative has already succeeded. It is an irreversible process." It is one that will shape Bahrain's future and will be closely studied elsewhere in the Gulf. History will be the judge, but late October 2002 may be the start of a revolution that will transform the way the countries of the region are governed.