Bahrain King Reappoints Uncle as PM

Local Editor

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa reappointed his uncle Khalifa bin Salman as prime minister on Sunday, a short time after he submitted his cabinet's resignation following the announcement of Bahrain's general elections results.

The King had ordered bin Salman, prime minister of Bahrain since 1970, to oversee government work until the formation of a new cabinet, Bahrain's royal court said in a statement.

The final results of Bahrain's parliamentary elections - which took place over two rounds in November - were announced on Sunday.

The vote was the first in the tiny Gulf state - a key US ally - since Bahraini authorities crushed pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Pro-government candidates, including extremists, won the most seats in parliamentary elections boycotted by Bahrain's opposition groups, officials said on Sunday.

Among the new parliamentarians are two members of the Muslim Brotherhood group, banned in neighboring Gulf states, two Salafis, and three women.
The Muslim Brotherhood is designated a "terrorist organization" by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates but is an ally of Bahrain's authorities.

In a letter sent to his uncle, King Hamad asked him to formulate an action plan to ensure progress in furthering democracy, cooperation between the government and parliament as well as the fight against corruption, the national news agency [BNA] quoted a statement by the royal court as saying.

The main opposition group, al-Wefaq - which withdrew its 18 lawmakers from parliament in protest in 2011 - denounced the vote as a "farce" and called for a boycott.
It clarified that the boycott was a success, saying that only 30 percent of voters had cast their ballots, despite the electoral commission putting turnout at 52.6 percent.
Al-Wefaq and other opposition movements had earlier accused the government of coercing citizens into participating in the elections.

The opposition said tens of thousands of people were pressured to vote, while the authorities accused boycotters of preventing voters from reaching polling stations.
The opposition also stressed that they are proceeding with their "popular mass movement and demands for democratization without regard to this farcical process [the elections], which will make matters worse."

The opposition has warned that a lack of democratic reforms could lead to instability in Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet and a partner in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria "ISIL" group in Syria and Iraq.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team