Bahrain

Council of Representatives Shura Council

Shura Council

Political system: Monarchy
Structure of parliament: Bicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Historical data on women

Data on women’s right to vote and to stand for election, the date at which the first woman entered parliament, and female Heads of State or Government

Women's suffrage

Date of independence: 1971
Year of first woman in parliament: 2002

Notes: 2002: The first woman to be elected to Parliament was in 2006 to the Lower House.
Year of first woman speaker: 2018

Women’s right to vote

Women’s right to vote: 1951
National or local: Local
Restricted or universal suffrage: No information available

Women’s right to vote: 1973
National or local: National
Restricted or universal suffrage: Restricted

Women’s right to vote: 2002
National or local: National
Restricted or universal suffrage: Universal

Notes: 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: 1973
National or local: National
Restricted or universal: Universal

Women's right to stand for election: 1999
National or local: Local
Restricted or universal: Universal

Women's right to stand for election: 2002
National or local: National
Restricted or universal: Universal

Notes: 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.