Sheikh Ali Salman: Opposition Boycott Shows Failure of Bahrain Elections
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Secretary General of Bahrain’s main opposition party al-Wefaq National Islamic Society said the boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections by opposition figures indicates the failure of the polls.
Sheikh Ali Salman said holding the election will only deepen the political crisis in the Persian Gulf monarchy.
He described holding “real” dialog with the opposition groups, implementing political reforms as the only way to tackle the crisis in the country.
Earlier this month, Bahrainis held protests across the country, calling for the boycott of upcoming general elections scheduled to take place next month.
Opposition party al-Wefaq National Islamic Society has said the upcoming vote will be undemocratic and will only give credit to the Al Khalifa rule.
The election will be the first since protests started in Bahrain in 2011.
Since mid-February 2011, thousands of protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to step down from power.
The protesters have also slammed the Manama regime’s arrest and torture of the political activists, demanding their release.
In March 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to help Manama quash the anti-regime protests.
Many Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.