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| Arabia |
| 5,000 Bahrainis Rally for Reforms |
| 2005-05-07 |
| About 5,000 citizens jammed a main road in the capital Friday, waving red and white Bahraini flags in the second rally for constitutional reforms in a month in this tiny Gulf kingdom. Many protesters wore stickers reading, "Constitutional Reform First." The rally was spearheaded by the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, which calls for more power for parliament's elected lower chamber. That body now shares equal powers with the royally appointed upper house. "People are demanding immediate constitutional reforms which will guarantee more rights to the people," said Abduljalil Singace, an al-Wefaq spokesman at the rally. The demonstration followed one last month that drew 7,000 flag-waving people demanding reforms. In October 2002, Bahrain held its first democratic parliament elections since 1973 after the ruler, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, won the approval of a new constitution. The charter called for a parliament — which had not existed since 1975 — an independent judiciary and a body to investigate public complaints. But al-Wefaq and three other groups boycotted the 2002 elections, in part because of their objection to the equal powers between the two houses of parliament. |
| Posted by:Fred |