Next Parliament Nothing but Regime Puppet, Bahraini Dissidents Say
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bahraini dissidents shrugged off the parliamentary elections staged in the Persian Gulf country on Saturday in the absence of opposition groups, saying the upcoming parliament will only act in line with the Al Khalifa regime’s will.
Yaqoob Al Naser, a Bahraini political activist, said the elections are like a party where only those close to the ruling Al Khalifa regime are invited, the Arabic-language Bahraini Mirror reported.
The royal family has specified individuals loyal to the regime who are seeking to take advantage of the 40 seats in the parliament while opposition groups are barred from running, he added.
Murad Alhayki, another dissident, said the next parliament would be much worse than the current one, adding that the MPs would only act in line with the government’s will not the people’s desire.
Bahrainis headed to the polls Saturday amid calls to boycott the parliamentary election in which dissolved opposition groups have been banned from taking part.
The country's two main opposition groups, the Al-Wefaq and Waad, were barred from fielding candidates, prompting renewed calls for a boycott.
The polls opened at 8 am local time (0500 GMT) and are set to close at 8 pm.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International and many other international rights organizations have frequently censured the Bahraini regime for the rampant human rights abuses against opposition groups and anti-regime protesters.
Since the 1980s, the ruling Al Khalifa regime has been trying to change the Kingdom’s demographic structure which largely consists of Shiites.