Iran blast continues....more from Bill Gertz...
Iran-backed Shi'ite majority battles for control of parliament in Bahrain, host to U.S. Fifth Fleet
King Hamad faces a Shi'ite majority, under the increasing influence of Iran, which is preparing to take control of parliament over the next week.
Hamad, who became king in 2002, has sought to balance his desire for a Western-oriented monarchy with his intent to maintain his Sunni Arab regime amid rising demands from the Shi'ites, who have becoming increasingly restless over the past year.
Unless it takes over the 40-member parliament the Shi'ite opposition has vowed to destabilize Hamad's regime. The opposition has accused the government of ordering the military and police to support the ruling Sunni coalition. This was the first election that allowed political parties to run slates. In the 2002 elections, individual candidates ran for office.
"I'm still anxious about the transparency of these elections," said Ali Salman, head of the Shi'ite opposition Al Wefaq National Islamic Society.
Salman, a Shi'ite cleric who expects to be the next speaker of parliament, has set a clear barometer for whether the elections were rigged. He said if his group — which boycotted the 2002 elections — did not win at least 13 seats, then the regime was to blame. Later, he upped the figure to 17 seats.
Continue reading "Iran blast continues....more from Bill Gertz..." »
- Ahem. . .
WaPo: Egypt's next parliament to be led by Islamist By Leila Fadel and Ingy Hassieb, Updated: Monday, January 16, 11:55 AM CAIRO — Liberals and Islamists in Egypt announced a temporary agreement Monday on a power-sharing plan that would install...
-
Al Jaz: Kuwait cabinet resigns amid political crisis Kuwait's cabinet has resigned after protesters and opposition deputies demanded that the prime minister step down over allegations of corruption, state-run television has reported."The prime minister...
-
Newsmax: Saudi Sends Troops, Bahrain Shi'ites Call it "war" Monday, 14 Mar 2011 09:51 AM * Shi'ite groups call troop entry declaration of war * Pro-govt papers say troops to protect strategic facilities (Adds Saudi troops, opposition quotes,...
-
Fox: Thousands of Protesters Take Control of Bahrain's Main Square Published February 15, 2011 Associated Press Thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Bahrain's capital of Manama Tuesday in an Egypt-style rebellion that sharply escalated...
- Geert Wilders Freedom Party Leads In The Polls
From Radio Netherlands Worldwide: Wilders' Freedom Party leads pollsAccording to a recent opinion poll, if parliamentary elections were held today, the Freedom Party (PVV) headed by right-wing populist leader Geert Wilders would become the largest...