Bahrain has given the representative for a U.S.-based pro-democracy NGO until Friday to leave the country. Fawzi Guleid, head of the Bahrain office of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), would not comment on the government’s decision. He has reportedly begun preparations to leave Bahrain after the denial of his application for a renewed residency permit.
NDI, which promotes democracy worldwide, was invited into Bahrain to help the nascent democratic transformation after the launch of reforms in the country in 2001. The group began operating in early 2002, ahead of Bahrain’s first municipal and parliamentary elections in almost three decades.
In 2005, NDI came under attack by Islamist members of Bahrain's parliament, who questioned whether the Washington-based institute was serving U.S. interests and accused it of violating Bahraini law banning foreign bankrolling of local political activities. NDI describes its goal in Bahrain as encouraging a more inclusive and viable democratic transition by fostering civil participation by both individual citizens and accountable political societies.
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