On 17 April 2006 a group of deputies signed a statement supporting a reduction in the number of electoral districts to five. (Specifically, they supported a proposal of a committee of the council of ministers to reduce the number of electoral districts from 25 to 5.) This was seen as evidence that the faction of the government that supported the reduction had the support of enough votes in the Majlis to pass the legislation.
On the 18th a group of deputies signed a statement opposing the council of ministers' plan, on the grounds that the districts did not have an equal number of voters. (al-Qabas, 19 April, page 16).
Two deputies signed the statement in support of 5 districts on the 18th: Hussein Mazeid and Rashid al-Habeida. Rashid's name appeared on both statements, though in the end he seemed to be with the 29. (al-Qabas, 19 April, page 1)
A faction in the council of ministers opposed the reduction in the number of districts. According to al-Qabas, this faction included the minister of Energy, Shaykh Ahmad Fahd, and Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Dayfallah Sharar.
Sources: