MANAMA (Dispatches) – The deputy secretary general of Bahrain’s dissolved al-Wefaq National Islamic Society says opposition groups, in a show of outright rejection of dictatorship and repression by the ruling Manama regime, have unanimously agreed to boycott the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.
“In light of the increasingly suffocating atmosphere, dictatorship of the ruling Al Khalifah dynasty, utter disregard to public demands and violation of people’s right to seal their own fate, foreign-based Bahraini opposition groups as well as social and political activists in the country have taken the decision not to cast ballots in the upcoming polls,” Sheikh Hussain al-Daihi said in an interview with the Arabic-language Lualua television network.
He added that Bahraini authorities are making preparations for the opening of the Zionist embassy in Manama, stressing that the so-called diplomatic mission would actually serve as the den of espionage for the occupying regime and would seriously endanger the security of Bahrain and the entire Middle East region.
“Despite the ambitious efforts of the Manama regime such as vote buying, Bahraini officials have suffered a major diplomatic failure. The decision to boycott the November 12 elections came in response to a call by [Bahrain’s most prominent cleric] Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim not to participate in the polls,” Sheikh Daihi said.
“The ruling Manama regime is keeping the Bahraini nation impoverished, even though it exercises complete monopoly on the national assets as well as the vital economic sectors of the country. Poverty is widespread across the country, and approximately half of the population (47%) receives subsidies,” the senior Bahraini opposition figure said.
“What is happening nowadays in Bahrain is outrageously insane. Candidates take great pride in having the chance to serve the Al Khalifah regime than the nation should they get elected,” Sheikh Daihi said.
Earlier this week, Sheikh Isa Qassim called for a boycott of the country’s forthcoming parliamentary elections, saying the sham vote is meant to “slaughter democracy” in the Persian Gulf kingdom, as the ruling Al Khalifah regime is insistently exercising its heavy-handed crackdown on dissent.