Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MANAMA190
2007-02-28 14:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Manama
Cable title:
BLOCS IN THE NEWLY-ELECTED BAHRAINI PARLIAMENT
how-toVZCZCXRO0366 OO RUEHDE RUEHDIR DE RUEHMK #0190/01 0591443 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 281443Z FEB 07 FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6478 INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT PRIORITY RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000190
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINR BA POL
SUBJECT: BLOCS IN THE NEWLY-ELECTED BAHRAINI PARLIAMENT
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
------------------
Summary and Comment
-------------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000190
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINR BA POL
SUBJECT: BLOCS IN THE NEWLY-ELECTED BAHRAINI PARLIAMENT
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
--------------
Summary and Comment
--------------
1. (C) The two rounds of parliamentary electQ conducted
November 25 and December 2 brought in a Sunni majority (23 of
40 seats),15 of whom are members of two Islamist political
societies: Al Asala (Salafi),with eight seats, and Al
Minbar (Muslim Brotherhood),with seven seats. Four of the
eight remaining Sunnis are pro-government moderates who
formed the independent bloc Al Mustaqbal (The Future),which
hopes to provide a balance to more extreme policy proposals
the Islamists may make. Three Sunni members are completely
unassociated, while the one remaining Sunni opposes the
government and will most often align himself with the Shia
opposition. Leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq won 17
seats in the parliament and represents the single largest
bloc in the Council of Representatives (COR). The inability
of moderates and liberal secularists to reach parliament
contributes to the appearance that the battle lines are drawn
between a Shia opposition and the Sunni-led government and
their supporters. End summary and comment.
-------------- --
Al Minbar: Relatively Moderate Sunni Islamists
-------------- --
2. (SBU) Al Minbar is one of two Sunni Islamist political
societies and is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It
is the political wing of Al Islah (The Reform) charity
society, the first and biggest Sunni charity society,
established in the early 1970's. Members of Al Islah did not
participate in the 1973 parliament or in any other political
activities during that time, but in order to take part in the
2002 elections, it established Al Minbar Al Islami as its
political branch. As Islamists, members of Al Minbar propose
and support legislation related to religious affairs and
morals.
3. (C) Despite the fact that Al Minbar and Al Asala have
differing political philosophies and religious ideologies,
they collaborated in the elections and came up with a joint
list of candidates. This alliance sought to stand against
the opposition, especially liberal, Sunni candidates from
Wa'ad political society. Al Minbar ran eight candidates,
including five incumbents and three new candidates. Only one
candidate lost his race, incumbent Sa'adi Mohammed, who lost
to an independent businessman. Al Minbar's chairman,
physician Salah Ali, was voted into the leadership position
of second deputy speaker by his fellow MPs. Chairman Ali's
moderate image is in marked contrast with that of Al Minbar
member Shaikh Mohammed Khalid, who publicly expresses
virulently anti-American views. Al Minbar has appointed a
new spokesperson, Dr. Ali Ahmed, who is well educated, known
to be open-minded and moderate, and avoids giving
controversial statements. Despite many attempts and
invitations, no Al Minbar MP has met with Embassy staff in
well over a year. An Al Minbar MP admitted to PolFSN that Al
Minbar had adopted a policy of not meeting with American
officials to protest U.S. policy in the region.
--------------
Al Asala: Salafis in the Modern Age
--------------
4. (SBU) The other major Sunni Islamist political society is
Al Asala, affiliated with Salafi Al Tarbiya Al Islamiya
(Islamic Education) charity society. In the parliamentary
elections, Al Asala nominated six candidates (three
incumbents, three new) and won five races. In addition,
three members of the new COR who ran as independents,
including two incumbents, decided to join Al Asala, so it now
has eight members in the COR. Members of Al Asala are from
the Sunni Salafi trend of Islam, which promotes a highly
literal interpretation of Islam and the Koran.
5. (C) From 2002 to 2004, Al Asala was led by Shaikh Adel Al
Ma'awada, who was the second deputy speaker in the previous
parliament. In 2004, Ghanim Al Buainain became the chairman
of Al Asala. Al Buainain, who has a BA in history from
Beirut Arab University and a post-graduate diploma in Islamic
studies, is open to establishing relationships with all
parQs in the parliament. Al Buainain has been an active
member of the COR and his moderate stance has allowed him to
build bridges with others in the COR. He was elected first
deputy speaker this term by MPs. Al Asala has been active in
submitting proposals promoting greater adherence to Islamic
law. Al Asala successfully lobbied the King to allow women
to drive while being completely veiled, legislation that had
MANAMA 00000190 002 OF 003
been previously rejected by parliament. Al Asala is open to
contact and relationships with American officials. The
Ambassador meets periodically with Al Buainain, who has
attended Embassy representational events, and he has visited
Al Ma'awada at his majles.
--------------
Al Wifaq: A Coalition of Shia Islamists
--------------
6. (SBU) Al Wifaq political society, which boycotted the
2002 parliamentary elections, represents the Shia community
and is the largest bloc in the new parliament. It won 17
seats, over 40% of the parliament and an increase of five
over the number of Shia members in the previous parliament.
The Al Wifaq bloc includes five clerics, two academics, and
three former municipal council members. Al Wifaq published a
comprehensive election agenda that includes policies on
political, economic, and legal issues, such as unemployment,
housing, Bahrain's foreign debt, the U.S.-Bahrain free trade
agreement, education and training, women's empowerment, and
infrastructure development. Al Wifaq seeks to amend
legislation related to assembly and press freedoms to provide
for greater freedom of expression. Constitutional changes
are also among Al Wifaq's priorities, but it has decided to
postpone pushing this issue until next year.
7. (C) Al Wifaq looks to its leader Shaikh Ali Salman, who
is Al Wifaq's secretary general and a former exile, to
establish good relations with the government and other
parliamentary blocs and to work cooperatively with them. Al
Wifaq spokesperson Khalil Al Marzooq, chairman of the COR
Legal Affairs Committee, has also assumed a leadership role
within the bloc. Representing Bahrain's majority Shia
population, Al Wifaq has the most to gain from greater moves
toward democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote."
Al Wifaq was an enthusiastic participant in MEPI-funded
National Democratic Institute programming. The group is open
to and seeks contact with all levels of USG officials.
--------------
Al Mustaqbal Bloc: Pro-Government Moderates
--------------
8. (SBU) Al Mustaqbal is a new bloc in parliament made up of
four newly-elected members who have strong connections to the
government. Adel Al Asoomi, who took the initiative to form
the bloc, is a pro-government businessman with a close
relationship to the Prime Minister. It is likely that the
bloc will focus on business issues as well as improving the
standard of living for the Bahraini people. Included in this
bloc is the first female member of parliament, Latifa Al
Qa'oud, who won her seat unopposed. Al Qa'oud, who was an
official in the Finance Ministry, is the deputy chair of the
COR's Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.
--------------
Unassociated Members
--------------
9. (C) There are four unassociated members in the new
parliament. Dr. Abdulaziz Abul, chair of the Financial and
Economic Affairs Committee, was strongly supported by Al
Wifaq during the campaign and will support the Al Wifaq bloc
on most of its proposals. Abul, who obtained a doctorate in
international relations from the U.S., is a former exile and
a leading progressive liberal. He is also the secretary
general of the Constitutional Conference, a group that has
held annual conferences to push for constitutional changes.
Abdulla Al Doseri is an incumbent who was the spokesperson
for the pro-government Independent bloc in the previous
parliament. Independent Salafi Jasim Al Saeedi, who is so
extreme that even Al Asala does not want to be associated
with him, is deputy chair of the Legal Affairs Committee and
is also an incumbent. Finally, Khalifa Al Dhahrani was
elected to continue in his role as COR speaker, as he was in
the previous parliament.
--------------
Parliamentary Bloc Rosters
--------------
10. (SBU) Al Minbar bloc members: Dr. Salah Ali Mohammed
(chairman),Dr. Ali Ahmed (deputy, spokesperson),Dr.
Abdullatif Al Shaikh, Mohammed Khalid, Sami Qambar, Ebrahim
Al Hadi, and Naser Al Fadhala.
Al Asala bloc members: Ghanim Al Buainain (chairman),Shaikh
Adel Al Mo'awada, Hamad Al Muhannadi, Sami Al Buhairi, Isa
Abul Fateh, Abdulhaleem Murad, Ebrahim Busandal, and Khamees
Al Rumaihi.
MANAMA 00000190 003 OF 003
Al Wifaq bloc members: Shaikh Ali Salman (chairman),Khalil
Al Marzooq (spokesperson),Abdulhussain Al Mutaqawi, Mohammed
Jameel Al Jamri, Dr. Jasim Hussain, Jawad Fairooz, Jalal
Fairooz (brother to Jawad),Shaikh Hassan Sultan, Shaikh
Jasim Al Mu'min, Abduljalil Khalil, Mohammed Miz'al, Sayed
Jameel Kadhim, Sayed Abdulla Al A'ali, Dr. Abdali Mohammed
Hassan, Sayed Haider Al Sitri, Shaikh Hamza Al Dairi, and
Sayed Makki Al Widae.
Al Mustaqbal bloc members: Adel Al Asoomi (chairman),Latifa
Al Qa'oud, Hassan Al Doseri, and Abdulrahman Bumjaid.
Unassociated members: Khalifa Al Dhahrani (COR Speaker),Dr.
Abdulaziz Abul, Jasim Al Saeedi, and Abdulla Al Doseri.
--------------
COR Leadership
--------------
11. (SBU) Speaker of the COR: Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al
Dhahrani, speaker of the previous parliament, is an
independent Sunni with a close relationship with the royal
family. Despite clashes with some of the members of the
previous parliament, including Salafis, his quiet yet strong
leadership has made him successful in his management of
parliamentary discussions. During the election, Al Dhahrani
was strongly supported by Al Minbar and Al Asala against a
candidate who is a gadfly member of the royal family. Al
Dhahrani was a member of the 1973 parliament and was a Shura
Council member between 1992 and 2002. He runs his own
business in the construction field.
First Deputy Speaker: Ghanim Al Buainain is a pro-government
Sunni Salafi who has a post-graduate diploma in Islamic
studies and was formerly a director of administration and
personnel affairs at the Ministry of Municipalities. He is a
founding member of Al Asala political society. He and other
members of Al Asala focus on proposals that reinforce Islamic
Sharia law and improve the living standards of the people.
Second Deputy Speaker: Dr. Salah Ali has been chairman of Al
Minbar's parliamentary bloc since 2002. He is a
pro-government Sunni Islamist with a close relationship with
the royaQourt. Ali, who ran unopposed in 2002, received a
degree in surgery from Riyadh University, a master's degree
in public health from the U.S. and an MD in family medicine.
********************************************* ********
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/
********************************************* ********
MONROE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINR BA POL
SUBJECT: BLOCS IN THE NEWLY-ELECTED BAHRAINI PARLIAMENT
Classified By: DCM Susan L. Ziadeh for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
--------------
Summary and Comment
--------------
1. (C) The two rounds of parliamentary electQ conducted
November 25 and December 2 brought in a Sunni majority (23 of
40 seats),15 of whom are members of two Islamist political
societies: Al Asala (Salafi),with eight seats, and Al
Minbar (Muslim Brotherhood),with seven seats. Four of the
eight remaining Sunnis are pro-government moderates who
formed the independent bloc Al Mustaqbal (The Future),which
hopes to provide a balance to more extreme policy proposals
the Islamists may make. Three Sunni members are completely
unassociated, while the one remaining Sunni opposes the
government and will most often align himself with the Shia
opposition. Leading Shia opposition society Al Wifaq won 17
seats in the parliament and represents the single largest
bloc in the Council of Representatives (COR). The inability
of moderates and liberal secularists to reach parliament
contributes to the appearance that the battle lines are drawn
between a Shia opposition and the Sunni-led government and
their supporters. End summary and comment.
-------------- --
Al Minbar: Relatively Moderate Sunni Islamists
-------------- --
2. (SBU) Al Minbar is one of two Sunni Islamist political
societies and is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. It
is the political wing of Al Islah (The Reform) charity
society, the first and biggest Sunni charity society,
established in the early 1970's. Members of Al Islah did not
participate in the 1973 parliament or in any other political
activities during that time, but in order to take part in the
2002 elections, it established Al Minbar Al Islami as its
political branch. As Islamists, members of Al Minbar propose
and support legislation related to religious affairs and
morals.
3. (C) Despite the fact that Al Minbar and Al Asala have
differing political philosophies and religious ideologies,
they collaborated in the elections and came up with a joint
list of candidates. This alliance sought to stand against
the opposition, especially liberal, Sunni candidates from
Wa'ad political society. Al Minbar ran eight candidates,
including five incumbents and three new candidates. Only one
candidate lost his race, incumbent Sa'adi Mohammed, who lost
to an independent businessman. Al Minbar's chairman,
physician Salah Ali, was voted into the leadership position
of second deputy speaker by his fellow MPs. Chairman Ali's
moderate image is in marked contrast with that of Al Minbar
member Shaikh Mohammed Khalid, who publicly expresses
virulently anti-American views. Al Minbar has appointed a
new spokesperson, Dr. Ali Ahmed, who is well educated, known
to be open-minded and moderate, and avoids giving
controversial statements. Despite many attempts and
invitations, no Al Minbar MP has met with Embassy staff in
well over a year. An Al Minbar MP admitted to PolFSN that Al
Minbar had adopted a policy of not meeting with American
officials to protest U.S. policy in the region.
--------------
Al Asala: Salafis in the Modern Age
--------------
4. (SBU) The other major Sunni Islamist political society is
Al Asala, affiliated with Salafi Al Tarbiya Al Islamiya
(Islamic Education) charity society. In the parliamentary
elections, Al Asala nominated six candidates (three
incumbents, three new) and won five races. In addition,
three members of the new COR who ran as independents,
including two incumbents, decided to join Al Asala, so it now
has eight members in the COR. Members of Al Asala are from
the Sunni Salafi trend of Islam, which promotes a highly
literal interpretation of Islam and the Koran.
5. (C) From 2002 to 2004, Al Asala was led by Shaikh Adel Al
Ma'awada, who was the second deputy speaker in the previous
parliament. In 2004, Ghanim Al Buainain became the chairman
of Al Asala. Al Buainain, who has a BA in history from
Beirut Arab University and a post-graduate diploma in Islamic
studies, is open to establishing relationships with all
parQs in the parliament. Al Buainain has been an active
member of the COR and his moderate stance has allowed him to
build bridges with others in the COR. He was elected first
deputy speaker this term by MPs. Al Asala has been active in
submitting proposals promoting greater adherence to Islamic
law. Al Asala successfully lobbied the King to allow women
to drive while being completely veiled, legislation that had
MANAMA 00000190 002 OF 003
been previously rejected by parliament. Al Asala is open to
contact and relationships with American officials. The
Ambassador meets periodically with Al Buainain, who has
attended Embassy representational events, and he has visited
Al Ma'awada at his majles.
--------------
Al Wifaq: A Coalition of Shia Islamists
--------------
6. (SBU) Al Wifaq political society, which boycotted the
2002 parliamentary elections, represents the Shia community
and is the largest bloc in the new parliament. It won 17
seats, over 40% of the parliament and an increase of five
over the number of Shia members in the previous parliament.
The Al Wifaq bloc includes five clerics, two academics, and
three former municipal council members. Al Wifaq published a
comprehensive election agenda that includes policies on
political, economic, and legal issues, such as unemployment,
housing, Bahrain's foreign debt, the U.S.-Bahrain free trade
agreement, education and training, women's empowerment, and
infrastructure development. Al Wifaq seeks to amend
legislation related to assembly and press freedoms to provide
for greater freedom of expression. Constitutional changes
are also among Al Wifaq's priorities, but it has decided to
postpone pushing this issue until next year.
7. (C) Al Wifaq looks to its leader Shaikh Ali Salman, who
is Al Wifaq's secretary general and a former exile, to
establish good relations with the government and other
parliamentary blocs and to work cooperatively with them. Al
Wifaq spokesperson Khalil Al Marzooq, chairman of the COR
Legal Affairs Committee, has also assumed a leadership role
within the bloc. Representing Bahrain's majority Shia
population, Al Wifaq has the most to gain from greater moves
toward democracy and the principle of "one person, one vote."
Al Wifaq was an enthusiastic participant in MEPI-funded
National Democratic Institute programming. The group is open
to and seeks contact with all levels of USG officials.
--------------
Al Mustaqbal Bloc: Pro-Government Moderates
--------------
8. (SBU) Al Mustaqbal is a new bloc in parliament made up of
four newly-elected members who have strong connections to the
government. Adel Al Asoomi, who took the initiative to form
the bloc, is a pro-government businessman with a close
relationship to the Prime Minister. It is likely that the
bloc will focus on business issues as well as improving the
standard of living for the Bahraini people. Included in this
bloc is the first female member of parliament, Latifa Al
Qa'oud, who won her seat unopposed. Al Qa'oud, who was an
official in the Finance Ministry, is the deputy chair of the
COR's Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.
--------------
Unassociated Members
--------------
9. (C) There are four unassociated members in the new
parliament. Dr. Abdulaziz Abul, chair of the Financial and
Economic Affairs Committee, was strongly supported by Al
Wifaq during the campaign and will support the Al Wifaq bloc
on most of its proposals. Abul, who obtained a doctorate in
international relations from the U.S., is a former exile and
a leading progressive liberal. He is also the secretary
general of the Constitutional Conference, a group that has
held annual conferences to push for constitutional changes.
Abdulla Al Doseri is an incumbent who was the spokesperson
for the pro-government Independent bloc in the previous
parliament. Independent Salafi Jasim Al Saeedi, who is so
extreme that even Al Asala does not want to be associated
with him, is deputy chair of the Legal Affairs Committee and
is also an incumbent. Finally, Khalifa Al Dhahrani was
elected to continue in his role as COR speaker, as he was in
the previous parliament.
--------------
Parliamentary Bloc Rosters
--------------
10. (SBU) Al Minbar bloc members: Dr. Salah Ali Mohammed
(chairman),Dr. Ali Ahmed (deputy, spokesperson),Dr.
Abdullatif Al Shaikh, Mohammed Khalid, Sami Qambar, Ebrahim
Al Hadi, and Naser Al Fadhala.
Al Asala bloc members: Ghanim Al Buainain (chairman),Shaikh
Adel Al Mo'awada, Hamad Al Muhannadi, Sami Al Buhairi, Isa
Abul Fateh, Abdulhaleem Murad, Ebrahim Busandal, and Khamees
Al Rumaihi.
MANAMA 00000190 003 OF 003
Al Wifaq bloc members: Shaikh Ali Salman (chairman),Khalil
Al Marzooq (spokesperson),Abdulhussain Al Mutaqawi, Mohammed
Jameel Al Jamri, Dr. Jasim Hussain, Jawad Fairooz, Jalal
Fairooz (brother to Jawad),Shaikh Hassan Sultan, Shaikh
Jasim Al Mu'min, Abduljalil Khalil, Mohammed Miz'al, Sayed
Jameel Kadhim, Sayed Abdulla Al A'ali, Dr. Abdali Mohammed
Hassan, Sayed Haider Al Sitri, Shaikh Hamza Al Dairi, and
Sayed Makki Al Widae.
Al Mustaqbal bloc members: Adel Al Asoomi (chairman),Latifa
Al Qa'oud, Hassan Al Doseri, and Abdulrahman Bumjaid.
Unassociated members: Khalifa Al Dhahrani (COR Speaker),Dr.
Abdulaziz Abul, Jasim Al Saeedi, and Abdulla Al Doseri.
--------------
COR Leadership
--------------
11. (SBU) Speaker of the COR: Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al
Dhahrani, speaker of the previous parliament, is an
independent Sunni with a close relationship with the royal
family. Despite clashes with some of the members of the
previous parliament, including Salafis, his quiet yet strong
leadership has made him successful in his management of
parliamentary discussions. During the election, Al Dhahrani
was strongly supported by Al Minbar and Al Asala against a
candidate who is a gadfly member of the royal family. Al
Dhahrani was a member of the 1973 parliament and was a Shura
Council member between 1992 and 2002. He runs his own
business in the construction field.
First Deputy Speaker: Ghanim Al Buainain is a pro-government
Sunni Salafi who has a post-graduate diploma in Islamic
studies and was formerly a director of administration and
personnel affairs at the Ministry of Municipalities. He is a
founding member of Al Asala political society. He and other
members of Al Asala focus on proposals that reinforce Islamic
Sharia law and improve the living standards of the people.
Second Deputy Speaker: Dr. Salah Ali has been chairman of Al
Minbar's parliamentary bloc since 2002. He is a
pro-government Sunni Islamist with a close relationship with
the royaQourt. Ali, who ran unopposed in 2002, received a
degree in surgery from Riyadh University, a master's degree
in public health from the U.S. and an MD in family medicine.
********************************************* ********
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/
********************************************* ********
MONROE