Ayatollah Qassem calls on Bahraini opposition to unite in upcoming elections

ByNews Desk- The Cradle 

Despite the possible impact of the coming ballots, the Bahraini opposition is deeply fractured, with many fearing this could legitimize the pro-monarchy representation

Peaceful protestor holds up poster of Bahraini spiritual leader Ayatollah Isa Qassem. (Photo credit: HAIDAR HAMDANI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

On 30 June, the exiled Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassem called on all Bahrain’s opposition parties to set aside their disputes and cooperate in a bid to topple the council of representatives.

This was the third open letter ahead of Bahrain’s upcoming parliamentary elections in November.

Qassem, the spiritual leader of Al Wefaq party, called on the opposition to unite despite their differences.

He said that without a united opposition, the monarchy led by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, would encroach further in its policies of marginalization, impoverishment and humiliation of the dissident majority.

“Any opposition divided by sectarian, political, regional, or any other differences contributes to the policy that oppresses them. They commit a fatal folly, robbing themselves of all the glories of honorable independence and an opportunity to get rid themselves of this bitter reality,” Qassem said.

Additionally, in a similar letter on 9 June, Qassem admonished the opposition for their lack of dedication to change and to wasting money on campaigns that would only help establish legitimacy to the pro-monarchy council of representatives.

“If the elections – as is apparent so far – are [leading] to a parliament that will represent the government and not the people, then relieve people from your so-called elections, keep electoral expenses for your own personal benefit, and announce a new term for the current assembly,” Ayatollah Qassem said.

The Bahraini parliament comprises 40 seats representing four governorates: the Capital, Muharraq, and Northern and Southern governorates.

Over the years, Al Wefaq has controlled 45 percent of the parliament representation, despite winning 64 percent of the popular vote.

The opposition party, which represents the majority of the Shia population in Bahrain, was represented by 17-18 members respectively in the 2006 and 2010 elections.

But after the 2011 uprising and the crackdown on the peaceful protests, representatives of Al Wefaq resigned.

The party was eventually dissolved by the government, and its members persecuted, exiled, and imprisoned under charges of harboring terrorists and aiding foreign elements.

The party’s Secretary General Sheikh Ali Salman was imprisoned for life, while Ayatollah Qassem, who was stripped of his passport, currently lives between Iran and Lebanon.

However, despite the generally peaceful show of protest by the majority, the Bahraini monarchy has continued its suppression of oppositional rhetoric and religious rites, mainly through the ban on Friday prayers in Diraz city.