Gulf | Bahrain
Al Wefaq hopes to win 12 seats in parliament polls
Constitutional amendments giving more power to parliament over government and the cabinet was one reason behind Al Wefaq Political Society's decision to end its election boycott, Shaikh Ali Salman, the society's general secretary said.
- By Suad Hamada, Gulf News Report
- Published: 00:00 July 4, 2006
Manama: Constitutional amendments giving more power to parliament over government and the cabinet was one reason behind Al Wefaq Political Society's decision to end its election boycott, Shaikh Ali Salman, the society's general secretary said.
The decision could also, he added, be attributed to Al Wefaq's efforts to reinforce its political activities inside and outside the Chamber of Deputies.
The society hopes to win 12 to 14 seats in parliament.
In an interview with the Gulf News, Shaikh Ali said: "Our decision was part of King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa's call to end the boycott and discuss political and legislative affairs of the kingdom."
The king, who earlier called on the opposition to be part of parliament, has the ultimate say in approving the constitutional amendments. According to Shiite opposition leader Shaikh Ali, the Shura Council (appointed house) has the veto power of government on parliament.
"We will fight to avoid passing weak or laws controlling freedom as we are aware of the limitations and try to work them out by eliminating them or trying to ignore them to attain the common goal of better living conditions for citizens," he said.
Constituencies
Regarding the distribution of constituencies, he said that the distribution of electorate was unfair and promotes sectarianism. "In one constituency there are 14,000 voters, while in another there are only 350, so one vote in a small population district has the power of more than thousand votes in crowded areas."
He highlighted the unjust treatment for candidates as some could win the voters' trust by one gathering, while others have to attract their attentions by a series of events.
He said that it was unfair to have constituencies with large difference in the number of voters. "Crowded areas such as villages and old cities that have extended families should be divided to more constituencies." Shaikh Ali recommended one constituency for the whole kingdom as each citizen votes for a candidate he or she feels is the best.
"This system would avoid the current problem of having Sunni or Shiite constituencies and enable Shiite candidates to win in Sunni areas or vice versa."
A proposal for amending the constituencies' law has been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies. The bill stresses having one constituency.
Shaikh Ali claimed that the sectarian naturalisation was continuing on a daily basis and that would have a direct impact on future security and the financial abilities of the kingdom.
Bar on religious figures contesting elections
The Government of Bahrain would ban religious figures who will run for elections from delivering Friday sermons, according to a decision taken by the Sunni Endowment Directorate at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
The move is aimed at providing equal chances for candidates to convince the public to vote for them. Most candidates invite voters to attend their election campaigns, while religious figures meet people at mosques and other religious gatherings to promote themselves.
Although the decision is only for Sunni scholars, opposition Shiite leader and scholar Shaikh Ali Salman has promised to stop his preaching activities during the election. The decision was supported also by Sunni scholars Salah Al Jowder and Ebrahim Busanadal.
However, MP and imam of a mosque, Mohammad Khalid, is against the decision as he said that candidates should be forbidden from writing newspaper columns during election, if the government goes ahead with its decision to stop some deputies and candidates from delivering Friday sermons.
"The sermons reach limited number of people, but columns reach many, so to treat every candidate equally, then writing columns should be banned," he said in a statement to Gulf News.
The writer is a journalist based in Bahrain
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