Hezbollah slams Bahrain ruling to suspend al-Wefaq

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has denounced a ruling by the Bahraini regime to suspend the activities of the country’s prominent opposition party al-Wefaq ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

In a statement on Tuesday, Hezbollah said the ban on al-Wefaq party “proves that the elections (scheduled for November 22) are sham, pre-determined and far away from representing the will of the Bahraini people and the political powers.”

Hezbollah also said the ban indicates the repressive and totalitarian nature of the Al Khalifa regime, warning against the negative repercussions on the political future of the Persian Gulf state.

“The ruling authorities in Bahrain are not determined to make serious steps in order to solve the incurable political crisis,” said the statement.

On Tuesday, the Manama administrative court imposed the three-month ban on al-Wefaq after it threatened to boycott the November 22 elections.

The opposition party dismissed the ruling as “irrational and irresponsible”, saying, “The tyrannical dictatorship in Bahrain is ruling with an iron fist and moving to destroy the political and social life by blocking the people out.”

Eligible voters in the country will elect members of the 40-seat Council of Representatives in Bahrain next month for the first time after the beginning of anti-regime protests in the country.

In 2011, al-Wefaq pulled 18 of its representatives out of parliament after a deadly regime crackdown on Shia protesters demanding reforms in the country.

The Bahraini opposition has been demanding the formation of a constitutional monarchy, an independent election commission, as well as the appointment of a prime minister by parliamentary majority instead of the king.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to step down.