Manama: Individual rights and enhanced democracy are the vital pillars of reforms and development in Bahrain, Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa has said.
Discussing national issues at a Ramadan majlis, Prince Salman said that Bahrain was committed to upholding such principles in the firm interest of all Bahrainis under the leadership of King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa.
Maintaining a gradualist and sustainable approach to reform and development was highly significant to continue expanding the Kingdom’s achievements and successes, Prince Salman, who is also Bahrain’s First Deputy Prime Minister, said.
He added that the principles of mutual respect in Bahrain’s diverse society contributed significantly to the Kingdom’s ongoing development and long-term stability and emphasised how they served to guard against external influences, enhanced by regional events and upheavals that undermine the Kingdom’s pursuit of the interests of all Bahrainis, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
Prince Salman has been visiting various majlises since the start of Ramadan and meeting people.
Bahrainis, like other citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), use the long evenings associated with the month of fasting to exchange visits, usually at open majlises.
In his conversations in two majlises on Sunday evening, Prince Salman said that King Hamad’s visits across the country and various engagements with the Kingdom’s local communities, reinforced participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections as a universal right protected by the constitution. This right, he said, will only serve to increase the Kingdom’s political development.
Parliamentary elections are expected in November to allow eligible men and women to cast their ballots and elect 40 lawmakers.
Legislative elections were held in 2002, 2006 and 2010, and by-elections in 2011, following the promulgation of a new constitution that allowed women to run and vote.
The members of the Shura Council, the second chamber of the bicameral parliament, are appointed by King Hamad, a procedure that allowed minorities, such as Christians and Jews, to be represented in the parliament.
Prince Salman said that the parliament had an important role in enhancing democratic practices and expanding participation in the Kingdom’s wider development and that strong coordination between the legislative, executive and judicial authorities would “help boost development across Bahrain’s vital sectors, improve government services, directly benefit Bahrainis and reinforce the principles of transparency and accountability”.
