Bahrain Mirror: Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qassim urged the people to boycott the parliamentary and municipal elections, saying in a video speech broadcast by Lualua Channel, that "participation in these elections is approval of perpetuating the awful situation about which everyone is now complaining. The people of Bahrain are now voicing their frustration about the bad conditions of their situation. Participation in the elections and running for candidacy is a green light to keep the situation as it is, and even allow it to worsen. Participation in the elections and running for candidacy is also signing approval of the existing normalization, and its expansion, which is dangerous and disastrous."

He addressed those who might go to vote, saying "You are now in Bahrain and you are electing and blessing the election in Israel, and in countries other than Israel who are naturalized against you. There are naturalized people voting in countries other than Israel, are these voting for your benefit or for the benefit of the executive authority? Your signature here gives support to their signature there, an agreement that this signature is valid, and that these people have the right to lead Bahrain to the fate they want, which is the fate the executive authority wants."

"Today those who vote in Israel are from Bahrain, tomorrow in another session the naturalized Israeli will vote for the parliament in Bahrain, and your signature opens the door to this," he added.

Sheikh Qassim wondered: What should the voter who seeks his own interest and that of his country and homeland do? "He should ask himself 'what has the outgoing parliament offered and is it worse than the next? How did it treat its people? Doesn't its decision follow that of the executive authority? Hasn't it paid allegiance to the executive authority? Doesn't it seek the validation of the executive authority?' This is how the outgoing parliament was, but the next parliament was designed to be of less value and lower level."

He went on to say that even if there were a few loyal MPs in the upcoming parliament, Perham 5,10 or 20 of them, who say the truth, how effective will their words be? Do you think the just voice will represent the majority in the parliament? No, it's certain that will never happen. And even for the sake of argument, if there was such a majority, which is impossible, the parliament's decision will be controlled by that of the appointed Shura Council, which will have the final say.

"What good does the voter, who is thinking of participating in the elections, expect for his country, people, religion, pride, dignity, for his children today and tomorrow, for his tribe, and all his loved ones?"

He highlighted that "a candidate of the Council may have good intentions, but in reality he will be a supporter of falsehood, because his intention is not implemented and his participation means supporting injustice. With your participation, you are a helper against injustice. However, your intention is ineffective. In what way do you enter these elections if you are honest and sincere with your people and to your homeland?"

"If you boycott, you give a lesson to the government that all your anti-people plans will have no effect as long as the people are conscious. If you boycott, you reveal that these elections are imposed on these people, and as long as the will of the people is absent, the people will be nothing but an enemy of injustice, oppression and limitless control."

Sheik Qassim wondered "How many people are now calling for boycotting the elections? Give me the number you want, an approximate number, but certainly, if people were given freedom to say the word of truth, warners of such elections and advocates of boycotting them would have reached hundreds, even thousands, of writers from inside and outside Bahrain."

"Saturday is a day of sorrow for the people of Bahrain, not a day of joy. It can be a day of joy if Bahrainis boycott elections," he concluded his speech. 

Arabic Version