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Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society ((アラビア語:جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية); transliterated: Jam'īyat al-Wifāq al-Waṭanī al-Islāmīyah), or Al-Wefaq for short, is a Bahraini political society, and the largest party in the Bahrain, both in terms of its membership and its results at the polls.〔(Guide to Bahrain's politics ) – 4 Sep 2008. Ambassador Ereli, US Embassy, Bahrain/Wikileaks/The Guardian〕 Although it is by far the single largest party, with 18 representatives, in the 40-member Bahraini parliament, it has often been outvoted by coalition blocs of opposition Sunni parties and independent MPs reflecting gerrymandering of electoral districts.〔 On 27 February 2011, the 18 Al-Wefaq members of parliament submitted letters of resignation to protest regime violence against pro-reform Bahraini protestors.〔(Thousands protest in Bahrain as MPs resign ) AFP, 27 February 2011〕 Al Wefaq's religious orientation is Shia and it is led by a cleric, Ali Salman. The party is close to a Shia clerical body in Bahrain, the Islamic Scholars Council, which describes Al Wefaq as the 'Bloc of Believers'.〔Habib Toumi, (Bahrain Shiite body accused of bias ), ''Gulf News'', 14 November 2006〕 In 2006, the pro-government English newspaper Gulf Daily News alleged that al Wefaq had only 1,500 active members,〔''Gulf Daily News'', (Society shifted position to take advantage of political platform ) – 20 January 2006〕 although Al Wefaq itself claims to have 80,000 members〔 and a leaked diplomatic briefing from the US Embassy in Bahrain described Al Wefaq as the largest party in Bahrain in terms of membership.〔 Al Wefaq boycotted the 2002 general election, the first parliamentary elections held in the country since 1973, claiming that the 2002 constitution gave too much power to the unelected upper house, the Consultative Council of Bahrain, whose members are directly appointed by the King. In the 2006 election Al Wefaq received the backing of the Islamic Scholars Council which helped it win seventeen of the eighteen seats it contested. In the 2010 election, they increased their representation by one seat, winning all the constituencies they contested, to take 18 of the 40 available parliamentary seats.〔(Independents the biggest winners ) – Gulf Daily News, 1 November 2010〕 ==History== A number of Al Wefaq's leaders returned to Bahrain under the reform process initiated by King Hamad when he inherited the throne and pardoned all the political activists of the 1990s political unrest. Its leadership backed King Hamad's National Charter for political reforms after the King assured the country's leading opposition clerics, through a signed statement in the house of a leading religious figure, Sayed Alawi al-Ghuraifi, that only the elected chamber of parliament would have legislative power, as stipulated by the 1973 Constitution. However the Al Wefaq leadership withdrew support when the ruling regime later announced the 2002 Constitution which mandated a chamber, appointed directly by the King, that would have the same legislative power the elected chamber has. Al Wefaq boycotted the 2002 parliamentary election, with three other political societies: the former Maoist National Democratic Action Society, Baath affiliated Nationalist Democratic Rally Society and Islamic Action Society. Opposition political groups accused the King of unilaterally enacting the constitution though such an important document requiring multilateral agreement in order to be binding. However Al-Wefaq did put forward candidates for the municipal elections that occurred in the same year as they believed that municipal candidates will deal with servicing issues rather than politics which should not be affected much by the changes made in 2002 Constitution. The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Tom Malinowski, on a visit to Bahrain in July 2014 was ordered to leave the country after meeting with members of Al-Wefaq. The United States issued a statement reaffirming its support for Bahrain but maintained it was normal diplomatic protocol for its representatives to meet with opposition parties. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Al Wefaq」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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