General Information
At stake in this election:
- 40 seats in the House of Deputies
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa
- Head of Government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa
- Assembly: Bahrain has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Shura Council with 40 seats and the House of Deputies with 40 seats.
Description of electoral system:
- The King is hereditary.
- Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch.
- In the Shura Council 40 members are appointed by the monarch. In the House of Deputies 40 members are elected by direct vote to serve 4-year terms.
Main Parties in the electoral race:
- Independents*
*All candidates are officially independent, as political parties are banned in Bahrain. However, 6 civic movements gained representation: the Islamic Forum (6 seats), Al-Asalah (6 seats), Rabita al-Islami (3 seats), the Shura Society (2 seats), the National Democratic Assembly (2 seats), and al Meethaq (1 seat).
Last Parliamentary election:
- This is the first legislative election in Bahrain in nearly 30 years. The framework for this legislation was enacted under the revised 2002 constitution.
Population and number of registered voters:
- Population: 725,365 (2002)
- Registered Voters: 243,637 (121,768 men; 121,869 women)
Gender Data:
· Female Population: 304,113 (2002)
· Is Bahrain a signatory to CEDAW: No
· Has Bahrain ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (18 June 2002)
· Gender Quota: No
· Female candidates in this election: Yes
· Number of Female Parliamentarians: 0 (following 2002 election)
· Human Development Index Position: 45 (2014)
· Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A
Disability Data:
· Is Bahrain a signatory to CRPD: Yes (25 June 2007)
· Has Bahrain ratified CRPD: Yes (22 September 2011)
· Population with a disability: 108,804 (est.)