General Information
Note on the results: The turnout percentage is based on the entire population. Only certain districts had a second round of elections, so not all registered voters could participate in this round. Only the number of voters should be considered official. For a list of winning candidates, see Bahrain's "Elections 2018" website.
At stake in this election:
- The remaining 31 seats in Bahrain’s Council of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwab)
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999)
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Prince KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971)
- Assembly: Bahrain has a bicameral National Assembly (al-Jamiyh al-Watani) consisting of the Shura Council (Majlis Al-Shura) with 40 seats and the Council of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwab) with 40 seats.
Description of electoral system:
- The King is hereditary
- The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch.
- In the Shura Council (Majlis Al-Shura) 40 members are appointed by the monarch. In the Council of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwab) 40 members are elected by absolute majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms.**
** If no candidate receives an absolute majority in the first round, a run-off is held.
Main parties in the electoral race:*
- Party: Independents
- Leader: N/A
- Party: Islamic Al Asalah
- Leader: Abdul Halim MURAD
- Party: National Islamic Al-Menbar
- Leader: Ali AHMED ABDULLAH
* Independents won 37 of 40 seats in the 2014 elections. Several opposition parties – including the leading Shiite party, Al-Wefaq, and the leading secular party, the National Democratic Action Society – have been dissolved by the government.
Population and number of registered voters:
- Population: 1,566,993 (2018 est.)
- Registered Voters: 365,467 (2018)
Gender Data:
- Female Population: 573,892 (2018 est.)
- Is Bahrain a signatory to CEDAW: No.
- Has Bahrain ratified CEDAW: Yes (18 June 2002)
- Gender Quota: No.
- Female Candidates in this election: N/A
- Number of Female Legislators: 4 (10%) of 40 seats in the Council of Representatives (Majlis Al-Nuwab); 11 (27.5%) of 40 seats in the Shura Council (Majlis Al-Shura).
- Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 43 (2018)
- Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Ranking: Not Ranked (2014)
Disability Data:
- Is Bahrain a signatory to CRPD: Yes (25 June 2007)
- Has Bahrain ratified CRPD: Yes (22 September 2011)
- Population with a disability: 201,992 (2018 est.)