Gulf | Bahrain
Bahrain opposition leader eyes speaker's post
The chairman of Al Wefaq, the political society that spearheaded the boycott of the parliamentary elections in 2002, will seek to become the next Council of Representatives Speaker.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 January 24, 2006
Manama: The chairman of Al Wefaq, the political society that spearheaded the boycott of the parliamentary elections in 2002, will seek to become the next Council of Representatives Speaker, sources close to the maverick leader yesterday told Gulf News.
"Shaikh Ali Salman will definitely lead Al Wefaq in the next elections and will then seek to get elected by his 39 colleagues as the Speaker of the Council of Representatives," the sources said.
Shaikh Salman's intentions were revealed one week after incumbent First Deputy Speaker Abdul Hadi Marhoon said in a press statement that he wanted to become the council's next speaker.
"I am confident I can make a difference and ensure that the parliamentarians be more productive in their approaches to national issues," Marhoon said.
But the Wefaq insider said he was not sure that Marhoon would be re-elected as an MP.
"If Al Wefaq decides to field a candidate in the same constituency, it will not compromise with Marhoon despite his close ties with the society," the source said. "In fact, Al Wefaq will not commit itself to any alliance in areas where it has clear popular support."
Several political societies, Sunni and Shiite as well as liberal and conservative, have said that they would build alliances with Al Wefaq in case the popular society decided to enter the legislative elections slated for September, one month earlier than initially planned so as not to coincide with Ramadan and Eid festivities.
Shaikh Salman has so far refused to comment publicly on the stance of Bahrain's largest opposition society on the 2006 polls.
Al Wefaq and three other societies which refused to take part in the 2002 legislative elections, demanding further constitutional reforms, have reversed their decision, saying that they would now seek to make changes from within the system instead.
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