BAHRAIN ELECTIONS Polls have opened for Bahrains legislative elections, the first since a 2011 uprising, but the Shia opposition that led the pro-democracy movement said it would not take part in the vote. The elections are being contested without a compromise in sight between authorities in the Sunni-ruled monarchy and the opposition, as highlighted by the two sides in interviews on Friday. The Gulf states electorate of almost 350,000 is being called to choose 40 deputies, with most of the 266 candidates being Sunnis. Al-Wefaq, the main opposition group, warned that failure by the kingdoms rulers to loosen their grip on power could trigger a surge in violence. Khalil AlMarzooq, a member of Al-Wefaq in London, said the opposition did not stand to gain anything from the election. Theres no justice in Bahrain; theres no independence of the judiciary. Unless we agree on the system that represents people and make officials accountable and save people and protect their rights, we cant participate, AlMarzooq told Al Jazeera.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 16:42:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015