Returns in Bahrain's election show wins by secular, Muslim cand

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Results from Bahrain's first legislative elections in nearly 30 years showed a mix of secular and Islamic candidates winning seats, with two women securing places in run-off polls, officials said Friday.

The election was a milestone for women because it marked the first time they had been empowered to vote and run for national office in a Gulf Arab nation.

It was also a defeat for a boycott campaign by a Shiite Muslim group that argued the political reform did not go far enough.

The Justice Ministry said that 19 candidates had been elected to the 40-seat parliament, including three who ran unopposed. The remaining 21 seats will be decided in run-off elections scheduled for Oct. 31.

No woman won outright in Thursday's polls, but two women are among the 42 candidates who will contest the run-offs.

The elections were celebrated as a major step toward democracy in Bahrain, a tiny island kingdom in a region dominated by traditional rulers. Hundreds of Bahrainis drove around the capital in the dark hours of Friday morning, blaring car horns and waving national flags and posters of the king, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Of the 19 elected legislators, most are new faces whose views are not known outside their districts.

Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. 5th Fleet and a strategic American base in the Gulf.