Bahrain: King Hamad announces reforms
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    • BAHRAIN

    According to reports, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa announced constitutional amendments on January 16, 2012, giving Parliament more powers of scrutiny over government, but the opposition said they fell far short of demands for democracy that have driven a year of unrest in the country. The amendments grant permission to question and remove ministers and withdraw confidence in the Cabinet. In a televised speech, the King announced that, "Our people have proven their desire for continuing with reforms ... We complete the march today with those who have an honest patriotic desire for more progress and reform.” However, the main opposition party, Wefaq, withdrew from the dialogue, saying it did not go far enough to offer real reform. Noting that the reforms could have been effected via legislation rather than constitutional changes a Wefaq partry official stated that, "This reflects a denial of the demands for better representation for Bahrainis and a fair judiciary...It ignores previous promises from the crown prince on a government that represents the people." 1

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