Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
3. Political Negotiations Between HRH the
Crown Prince and Political Parties
668. The Commission, for the purposes of clarity, finds it useful to
summarise the positions adopted by the relevant parties in the initiative
undertaken by HRH the Crown Prince and present a brief overview of the
reasons for the failure of the negotiations.
669. The proposals advanced by HRH the Crown Prince and his
negotiating team were based on discussions held with a wide array of political
parties, business leaders, and societal figures. The results of these
consultations, which extended from 16 February until 12 March 2011, and
was accepted by the Gathering of National Unity, appeared in a statement that
was released to the public by HRH the Crown Prince on 13 March 2011. It
identified the principles on which the proposed national dialogue would
proceed, namely:
a. A parliament with full authority;
b. A government that represents the will of the people;
c. Naturalisation;
d. Fair voting districts;
e. Combating corruption;
f. State property; and
g. Addressing sectarian tension.
670. As an indication of the seriousness of these proposals, HRH the
Crown Prince proposed a mechanism that would ensure that the results of the
proposed national dialogue were implemented. This mechanism, which was
recorded in a Memorandum of Understanding dated 12 March, envisioned that
the national dialogue should aim to amend the Constitution and that its results
would be submitted to a popular referendum for approval.
671. The positions adopted by the opposition, however, varied as the
protest movement progressed. During early discussions between advisers of
HRH the Crown Prince and opposition representatives, particularly Al Wefaq,
the latter presented demands that included amending the Constitution to grant
the Chamber of Deputies greater powers and to make the GoB answerable to
parliament. However, as the situation in Bahrain evolved and as the protest
movement gained momentum, the opposition revisited its positions and
articulated additional demands. Specifically, the opposition’s primary
demand was the election of a Constituent Assembly to rewrite the Constitution
of Bahrain. In addition, the opposition placed preconditions to entering into a
national dialogue, which included the resignation of HRH the Prime Minister
and the entire government. By 13 March, however, the opposition,
particularly Al Wefaq, further amended its position by seemingly dismissing
the option of entering into a national dialogue in favour of electing a
Constituent Assembly in which all constitutional and political matters could
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