Manama: Bahrain’s Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments has filed a lawsuit to suspend the activities of the Justice and Development Movement (JDM) for three months until it rectifies its legal status in accordance with its statute.

In a statement carried out by Bahrain, News Agency (BNA) on Thursday, the ministry ’s Political Societies’ Affairs Office said that JDM had violated the law and its own statute for failing to hold its annual general assembly for 2012 and its elective assembly in 2013.

The office said that the society had failed to address the issues even though the ministry had addressed it directly on the violations and requested their rectifications.

The office added that another lawsuit had been filed to suspend the National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad) for three months until a new secretary-general is elected.

According to the statement, the society had been addressed on the violation and requested to rectify it, but it refused.

The ministry earlier this week said that it had filed a lawsuit against Al Wefaq National Islamic Society to suspend its activities for three months until it rectifies its status.

The ministry attributed its move to “Al Wefaq’s failure to abide by the rules and regulations in holding four general assemblies, making them null and void.”

The ministry said that it had contacted Al Wefaq on the situation several times, but the society did not address the violations and did not abide by the required commitment to “the objectives of legitimate political work based on openness and transparency”.

The ministry added that the irregularities by Al Wefaq included holding two general assemblies without following the quorum rules and calling for two others with a total lack of transparency.

“The society has also adopted a peculiar endorsement concept by giving a committee set up within it and headed by a [cleric] the right to accept or reject candidates for the post of secretary-general and deputy secretary-general,” the ministry said. “The move is contrary to the foundations of democratic practices and imposes limits on the will of the general assembly.”

Al Wefaq denied the charges.

The office on Thursday said that “in line with its responsibilities, it affirms its assiduity in monitoring the proper application of the Law through constant follow up of assemblies held by political societies in order to ensure that they are properly held in accordance with the applicable laws and the respective statutes of each of the societies.”