MANAMA, 24 October — Bahrainis will vote today for their first Parliament in nearly three decades in a landmark election that is overshadowed by a boycott by mainstream political groups.

Democracy has been fast-tracked in Bahrain since King Hamad took power in March 1999 following the death of his father, who ruled the country for 38 years.

Bahrain, now a constitutional monarchy, last had parliamentary elections in 1973, but two years later, the Parliament was dissolved because of differences between the government and the MPs.

Bahrainis will choose from 174 candidates, eight of them women, while three candidates have already been elected unopposed to the 40-member Parliament. The king will personally appoint a chamber of another 40 members after the elections, which will also have legislative powers.

The main election issues are the economy, unemployment (estimated at 13.7 percent), institutional corruption, status of women and government plans to naturalize nearly 10,000 stateless citizens. The reform of the economy has become a major topic of discussion in the run-up to the election.

The government has asked the chamber of commerce for suggestions. The creation of a planning council to study economic issues including privatization and research into the development of Bahrain’s natural resources headed their list.

"We also asked for a trade zone that incorporates Iran and Iraq and suggested the reactivation of Bahrain as a trade transit center," said Otham Al-Rayes, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and a candidate for Muharraq province.

Four mainly Shiite parties, including the popular Wefaq Society, are shunning the poll to protest constitutional amendments that give the council appointed by the king equal legislative powers to those of the elected assembly.

Tens of thousands turned out for a rally overnight yesterday in a show of strength by the groups boycotting the elections. The organizers estimated the crowd at 75,000.

The opposition groups are also displeased that the division of the archipelago into 40 constituencies did not take into account demographics and the size of each electoral area, arguing there will be a situation whereby some MPs are elected by 12,000 voters and others by only 500.

The boycott is expected to result in a low turnout. Cabinet Affairs Minister Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Mutawae has said that less than half of the 243,449 eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots. Other officials have forecast a turnout of only 30 percent.

Not all opponents of the government, however, believe in the boycott.

Mansoor Al-Jamri, who was a virulent critic of the Khalifas, said the four parties were shooting themselves in the foot by avoiding the poll, even if Parliament would be a "talking shop".

"Parliament has been short-circuited but it is the core of the political process. Options other than participation are not viable," said Jamri, now editor-in-chief of the Wasat newspaper.

Many of the younger or first time voters intend to exercise their right to vote, but often for reasons other than the economy.

"We are willing to vote tomorrow as a return favor to King Hamad for giving us a lot of rights and opportunities," said a 25-year-old woman. "I shall choose the best candidate there is, but we feel they don’t really represent the Bahraini people. It’s to rally support for the king’s reform plans."

In a nationwide address this week, King Hamad urged his 650,000 subjects to support him by coming out in large numbers to cast their votes.

Ahmed ibn Attiyatallah Al-Khalifa, the official in charge of running the poll, said the government was trying to entice voters through certificates of appreciation.

While the streets in predominantly Sunni constituencies such as Muharraq and Rifaa East are adorned with campaign banners and posters, the electoral buzz seems to have passed by many Shiite towns and villages. Police had ripped down most of the banners demanding a boycott of the elections, residents of mainly Shiite towns said.

Women were given the right to stand for election for the first time earlier this year and eight female candidates are braving traditions of a male-dominated society.

Women failed to win any seats in the municipal polls. Shahzelan Abdulhasan Hasan Khamis, a female candidate and a lawyer has blamed Bahraini men for influencing women not to vote for females.

Despite all obstacles, Fatma Al-Hawaj, a 36-year-old lawyer, was upbeat. "The women voters are feeding my hopes," she said.