The Al Wefaq bloc, with 17 of 40 seats in the assembly, said during its annual assembly last month that the power sharing envisioned in Bahrain’s constitution had not yet been sufficiently brought to life.
This drew harsh criticism from Sunni politicians, one of whom also assailed the British ambassador for meeting deputies from Al Wefaq shortly after its assembly and warned against foreign meddling.
Majority Shi’ite Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family but has an elected parliament. The Shi’ite population complains of discrimination in jobs and services. Officials deny this.
“The national charter that 98.4 percent of people voted for (in 2002) clearly states that Bahrain is transferring into a constitutional monarchy,” Khalil al-Marzooq, speaker of the Shi’ite opposition Al Wefaq’s parliamentary bloc, told Reuters.
Marzooq said that as such the cabinet should be formed by parliament. It is currently appointed by Bahrain’s king, with about half the members coming from the royal family.
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa started a reform process in the early 2000s that led to a new constitution and parliamentary elections in 2002 and 2006.
Bahrain’s next parliamentary elections are expected in November, and observers say the debate on the constitution is part of arm wrestling between Shi’ite and Sunni blocs ahead of the polls.
The country’s elected parliament is the only one in the Gulf Arab region besides Kuwait’s assembly, but its bills need to pass an upper house that is appointed by the king. Ultimate power in the country rests with the ruling family.
“We’re not challenging the al-Khalifa family, we deny this. Nothing has been said against this family or any other,” Marzooq said. The demands by Al Wefaq were met with stark criticism from Sunni groups such as the Al Menbar society.
“The current constitution is a national achievement that must not be compromised; it is the legal reference for (relations) between the rulers and the ruled and it needs to be respected and cannot be violated except through the constitutional framework,” it said in a statement.
Bahrain’s sectarian balance is a concern to nearby top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has a Shi’ite minority in its eastern provinces. Bahrain has strong commercial and political ties with Saudi Arabia.
The Shi’ite demands added a diplomatic dimension this week when Adel al-Mouawda, one of eight deputies in the Sunni Al Wasalah bloc, warned the British embassy in Manama against meddling in Bahrain’s internal affairs.
The British ambassador to Bahrain had met with Al Wefaq’s parliamentary bloc a few days after its annual assembly.
“His meeting with Al Wefaq bloc is a clear abuse of the diplomatic relations between member states of the United Nations,” Mouawda was quoted as saying by the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
He said such meetings were “against the unity and cohesion of the Bahraini people”. The British mission in Manama denied it was interfering in Bahrain’s internal affairs.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa this week also met foreign ambassadors to Bahrain, urging them to adhere to international diplomatic conventions.
“We are looking forward to achieving another success in our democratic march by organising the legislative polls this year,” he was cited in the local press as saying after the meeting.
