Sheikh Ali Salman, the secretary general of the Society of National Islamic Unity, which is considered the principal Shi’ite organization in Bahrain, has demanded that the government authority in the country not be monopolized by the ruling family.

He says that he would like to see someone from outside that family to become prime minister.

In an election rally for the Bahraini parliament, Salman declared: “We seek, through a long-term program, that one day, the government will be in the hands of the children of the people.”

The Al-Khalifa family has ruled Bahrain since 1783.