Ammar Hakim: People-Government gap by Sham Elections in Bahrain

Head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Ammar al-Hakim lambasted the al-Khalifa regime for holding sham elections on Saturday, and warned that the move would further widen the existing gap between the Bahraini people and government.Hakim described as "unsuccessful" the holding of "imposed parliamentary elections" in Bahrain to replace some former opposition members in the parliament, and said, "This will lead to a further deepening of the gap between the Bahraini people and their statesmen, specially after 60% of the votes cast by the people whose representatives had left the parliament were ignored," Hakim said. He further described constructive talks between the Bahraini government and influential groups as the only way to settle the crisis and materialize the demands of both the Bahraini nation and political system. Last weekend, Bahrain held special elections to fill 18 parliamentary seats left vacant after members of the Islamist al Wefaq party resigned last February amid anti-government protests. Arguing that the government's attempts at equal representation are nothing more than a sham, the Shiite al Wefaq party boycotted last Saturday's elections.Al Wefaq's refusal to participate in the electoral process is not new. In 2002, al Wefaq boycotted the parliamentary elections in opposition to the new constitution, arguing that it disallowed equal representation. Sunni-Shiite tensions escalated again in 2006, when Shiite groups accused the government of adjusting election districts to favor Sunni candidates. With only 17 percent of registered voters participating in Saturday's elections, al Wefaq's boycott sought to prove a point: The current system of governance is illegitimate and should be replaced. Anti-government protesters have been holding peaceful demonstrations across Bahrain since mid-February, calling for an end to the Al Khalifa dynasty over-40-year rule. Violence against the defenseless people escalated after a Saudi-led conglomerate of police, security and military forces from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) member states - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar - were dispatched to the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom on March 13 to help Manama crack down on peaceful protestors. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds more arrested in the brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bahrain, home to a huge American military installation for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf. The Bahraini people have repeatedly condemned Riyadh's main role in the suppression of their revolution, and reiterated that they would continue protests until the collapse of the Al-Khalifa regime.