Bahrain

Shura CouncilCouncil of Representatives

Shura Council

Political system Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
Monarchy
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Structure of parliament Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
Bicameral
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IPU membership Current membership status
Yes
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Data on women

empty

Basic information > About parliament

Speaker

Speaker
Ali Bin Saleh Al-Saleh (Male)
Year of birth
1942
Additional information
Re-appointed on 24 Nov. 2010, on 9 Dec. 2014 and on 9 Dec. 2018.
See historical data for this field.

Secretary general

Secretary General
Osama Alasfoor (Male)
Notes Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
Appointed on 26 Nov. 2018.

Members

Current number of members, by sex
Women The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
9
See historical data for this field.
Percentage of women Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
22.5% See historical data for this field.

Reserved seats and quotas

Electoral quota for women Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
No
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Elections > Historical data on women

Women's suffrage

Date of independence For countries that become independent after 1940
1971
Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1951
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
Local
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Women are given the right to vote for municipal councils.
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1973
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Restricted
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
According to the Constitution (6 December 1973), all citizens are equal before the law; however the Electoral Law that was adopted as a follow up, did not recognize women's suffrage. Women were consequently not able to exercise electoral rights in the only legislative elections held in Bahrain in December 1973.
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
2002
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Women voted in 2001 for the referendum on the New Constitution, which came into being in 2002 and confirmed women's suffrage. Prior to independence, women were given the right to vote for municipal councils in 1951. According to the Constitution (6 December 1973), all citizens are equal before the law; however the Electoral Law that was adopted as a follow up, did not recognize women's suffrage. Women were consequently not able to exercise electoral rights in the only legislative elections held in Bahrain in December 1973.
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1973
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
According to the Constitution in force (6 December 1973), all citizens are equal before the law; however, women were not able to exercise electoral rights in the only legislative elections held in Bahrain in December 1973
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1999
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
Local
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Women are allowed to stand for election for municipal councils (right to vote for councils in 1951).
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
2002
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Women voted in 2001 for the referendum on the New Constitution, which came into being in 2002 and confirmed women's suffrage. According to the Constitution (6 December 1973), all citizens are equal before the law; however the Electoral Law that was adopted as a follow up, did not recognize women's suffrage. Women were consequently not able to exercise electoral rights in the only legislative elections held in Bahrain in December 1973. In 1999, women were allowed to stand for election for municipal councils, which they had been able to vote for since 1951.
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament Year in which first woman entered parliament
2002
First woman speaker
Year of first woman speaker Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
2018