The Deputy Secretary-General of the Bahraini political party Al-Wefaq, Sheikh Hussain Al-Daihi, announced that his party is boycotting the general elections in Bahrain.

The reasons justifying the boycott are diverse but mainly concern the failure to implement a crucial reform, ongoing political repression in the country, and authorizing the zionist entity to meddle with the country's domestic affairs.

The remarks were delivered during a press conference in which Sheikh Al-Daihi said Bahrainis have no power or representation in legislation and legislative processes.

According to the Sheikh, the core issue is that Bahrainis are deprived of a legal state by a small group of elites that carry out most decision-making, manage public wealth and security, and deprive the people of all their rights.

He further said that Bahrainis are continuing to pay a heavy price for their freedoms by getting killed, imprisoned, displaced, dishonored, denaturalized, their mosques demolished, their basic rights infringed on, and the list goes on. 

Touching upon the 2002 constitution, Al-Daihi stressed that it has become obvious that the political foundations of the country are based on absolutism.

The system of government in the Kingdom of Bahrain is supposed to be democratic, with sovereignty being in the hands of the people, "the source of all powers."

But instead, the constitution blends the executive, legislative, and judicial powers together in one framework, which inevitably contradicts the principle that the people are indeed the source of all powers.

To add insult to injury, Bahrain, considering how small it is in size, is now ranking among the worst violators of human rights due to its violent crackdowns on the opposition, the Sheikh said. 

Read more: NGO reports on increased abuse on political prisoners in Bahrain jail

The elections meant to elect 40 members of the Council of Representatives are scheduled to be held in Manama on November 12.

But Al-Daihi said it is pointless to accept these "useless elections" as they merely reflect the will of the elite which "consecrate injustice, enslavement, and marginalization that no sane, straightforward, and honest citizen, whose eyes and heart lay on the interests of his people and his country, would ever approve of."

Sheikh Al-Daihi added that engaging in the electoral process will not only serve to re-perpetuate the crisis and elongate the sentences of political prisoners but will also enable the zionist entity to meddle in Bahraini domestic affairs via diplomatic normalization, which is to be avoided at all costs.

Read more: Bahrain king dismisses minister for refusal to normalize with "Israel"

The Sheikh proclaimed that the party Al-Wefaq strongly condemns all means of subjugating people to slavery, exclusionary decision-making processes, and marginalization, which will all remain if the electoral process goes into effect.

He pointed out several defects with the overall engineering of the electoral districts and the subsequent social divisions it generates, the lack of legislative and oversight powers, the participation of the military personnel who amounts to over 17% of the electorate, and the adoption of the Political Isolation Law that prohibits all activists and opponents belonging to the main political parties from running and voting.

Al-Wefaq announces that it is fully boycotting the parliamentary and municipal elections and called on citizens to follow suit, adding that the party expects the lowest level of engagement with it and that acts of threats, intimidation, and coercion by the regime in Bahrain will be to no avail.

On November 5, the party issued a pamphlet titled "139 reasons to boycott the parliamentary and municipal elections."

One of the reasons listed in the pamphlet reads, "The Parliament’s inability to safeguard the practices of basic rights of free speech and the freedom to protest peacefully, and its neglect of the executive body's systematic abuses on freedom of expression. The Parliament is a partner in repressing freedoms."

من أسباب المقاطعة: فقدان البرلمان القدرة على حماية حرية التعبير والتجمع السلمي وقبوله مرغماً بأخطاء وتعديات السلطة التنفيذية على حرية التعبير وغالباً يكون البرلمان شريكاً في تقييد الحريات.

لقراءة الكتيّب: https://t.co/CGvUrmeWKR#بصوتك_تطبع #الوفاق #البحرين #Bahrain

— Alwefaq Society (@ALWEFAQ) November 5, 2022

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