al-Wifaq
al-Wifaq ( Arabic جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية, DMG Ǧamʿīyat al-Wifāq al-Waṭanī al-Islāmīya 'Islamic Society of National Unity'; also al-Wefaq or al-Wifak ) is the name of a former Shiite Islamic society in the Arab island state of Bahrain . She saw herself as a representative of the majority of the population (65%) in the country ruled by a Sunni royal house. Al-Wifaq's chairman was Sheikh Ali Salman , while Ayatollah Isa Qassim was the spiritual leader .
Political parties are banned in Bahrain , but electoral associations are allowed. In the 2006 parliamentary elections, al-Wifaq became the strongest grouping and in October 2010 won 18 of the 40 seats. She was in opposition to the royal house, which is skeptical of democracy and supports Islamist candidates. The Sunnis, in turn, accused al-Wifaq of sympathizing with Iran , which previously ruled the country.
The more radical Haqq movement split off from al-Wifaq, who held moderate positions . She also called for a boycott of the elections because the Shiite residents of Bahrain are still discriminated against.
The elections on October 23 and 31, 2010 were overshadowed by strong contrasts. Opposition websites and publications were banned, and since August the police have arrested around 250 Shiite regime critics under "terrorist suspicion", which led to protests that lasted for months in Bahrain .
After independence, it was not until 2002 - after 30 years and a new constitution - that the first parliamentary elections took place, boycotted by al-Wifaq because of severe disabilities. The then disproportionately large number of Sunnis in the lower house have only had a slim majority since 2010, and some independent candidates were also elected to parliament in both denominations . However, this has slightly less power than the consultative council (upper house), whose members are appointed by the king himself.
In 2016 the group was disbanded by the Bahraini judiciary. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against Ali Salman for espionage for neighboring Qatar . Although acquitted in the first instance, he was sentenced to life imprisonment on appeal in November 2018. In late January 2019, the country's Supreme Court upheld the sentence. According to human rights organizations, the process was politically motivated.
Web links
- Great tension in the parliamentary elections 2010. on: Focus online. October 23, 2010.
- Election in Bahrain sends a signal. on dw-world.de , October 23, 2010.
- Bahrain accuses Shiites - ruling house accuses critics of terrorism. ( Memento from November 2, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Süddeutsche Zeitung , October 30, 2010.
Individual evidence
- ^ Court confirms life imprisonment for opposition leaders. Spiegel Online , January 29, 2019, accessed on the same day.