Bahrainian Election Backlash

The Shi’a majority of Bahrain has been ruled by a Sunni minority. In the wake of recent elections in the island kingdom, in which the Shiite made “stunning gains” and laid claim to 17 of 40 seats in Parliament, the INAA has called foul at the controversial appointment of Sheikh Ahmad bin Atiyatullah al-Khalifa as minister for Cabinet affairs; among other things. In response, the INAA has claimed “royal interference in the distribution of posts within the Parliament.” An INAA statement stated that

…Sheikh Ahmad was the “principal accused in the Bandar report scandal.” That was an allusion to claims by an alleged British spy that he headed a “secret organization” within the government aiming to maintain Sunni domination of the Shiite-majority Gulf kingdom.

Sheikh Ahmad’s appointment is “considered by the majority of the Bahraini people – Shiites and Sunnis – as a message of provocation,” the statement said.

As to alleged royal interference in filling key posts within Parliament, the statement claimed this reflected a “policy of exclusion and marginalization” and said the INAA should not attend a meeting on assigning the posts.

It added that the group would refuse to accept any leadership positions in the Parliament, where “our presence will be purely symbolic.”