A senior Bahraini opposition figure has denounced the government’s discriminatory policies against the country’s majority Shia population, demanding a referendum on its constitution.

“What people have been calling for, for the last 70 to 80 years, is to live in peace and harmony with each other within the framework of a constitution,” said Saeed al-Shahabi, a peace activist with the London-based Bahrain Freedom Islamic Movement.

In an interview with Press TV on Sunday, he called for an end to Bahrain’s “political nationalization” and “the corruption of the ruling families.”

On Saturday, Bahraini prosecutors said they would charge over 20 Shia opposition leaders with plotting to topple the Bahraini monarchial government following their detention last month.

About 200 anti-government protesters have been detained in Bahrain since a chain of arrests began in the country in August.

“We want a constitution that is written by the people, for the people, and approved by the people within a referendum,” al-Shahabi said.

The opposition refuses to recognize the 2002 constitution and has called for a boycott of the October 23 parliamentary elections.

The Shia majority of the country has long complained of being discriminated against in obtaining jobs and services by the Bahraini Sunni-dominated government.

Human rights groups have voiced concern about the situation, urging Bahrain to investigate allegations by some opposition activists that they have been tortured while in detention.