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Politics of Bahrain has since 2002 taken place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy where the government is appointed by the King of Bahrain, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The head of the government since 2020 is Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who became Prime Minister following the death of Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and who also serves as Deputy Commander of the Bahrain Defence Force. The parliament is a bi-cameral legislature, with the Council of Representatives elected by universal suffrage, and the Consultative Council appointed directly by the king.
Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq, was a Shi'a Bahraini political party, that operates clandestinely after being ordered by the highest court in Bahrain to be dissolved and liquidated. Although from 2006 to 2011 it was by far the single largest party in the Bahraini legislature, with 18 representatives in the 40-member Bahraini parliament, it was often outvoted by coalition blocs of opposition Sunni parties and independent MPs reflecting gerrymandering of electoral districts. On 27 February 2011, the 18 Al-Wefaq members of parliament submitted letters of resignation to protest regime violence against pro-reform Bahraini protestors.
Women face widespread discrimination within Bahraini society and the country's political institutions. Women's rights have been a cornerstone of the political reforms initiated by King Hamad, with women gaining the right to vote and stand as candidates in national elections for the first time after the constitution was amended in 2002. The extension of equal political rights has been accompanied by a conscious drive to promote women to positions of authority within government. However, women in Bahrain continue to face gender inequality in many areas of life.
The Consultative Council, also known as the Shura Council, is the upper house of the National Assembly, the main legislative body of Bahrain.
The Supreme Council for Women (SCW) is Bahrain's advisory body to the government on women's issues. It is chaired by Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The current Secretary General of SCW is Hala Al Ansari.
The Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society is a Bahraini human rights organization established in November 2004 which, and to fight for women's rights.
Faisal Hassan Fulad is an international Human Rights Activist and he was a member of Kingdom of Bahrain's upper chamber of parliament, the Consultative Council, since 1996. Fulad was appointed to parliament by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa from 1996 to 2010.
The Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy is an opposition political organization in Bahrain founded in November 2005 with Hasan Mushaima as its secretary general. Several of its leaders were previously in the leadership of the Al Wefaq society, but it also contains others such as Ali Rabea, a secular nationalist and former member of parliament previously associated with the National Democratic Action Society, and Shaikh Isa Al Jowder, a Sunni cleric.
Dr Salah Al Bander is a British citizen of Sudanese origin known for his role in revealing the Bandargate scandal in Bahrain. Al Bander had been working as a strategic planning adviser to the Royal Court of Bahrain since January 2002, then he was seconded to Ministry of Cabinet Affairs in January 2006. On 13 September 2006 he was arrested and deported to London by Bahraini security officials after he distributed a report revealing a conspiracy to suppress the Shia in Bahrain. The scandal that ensued was named Bandargate, after him. Al Bander is also the Secretary General of the MOWATIN: Gulf Centre for Democratic Development, a London-registered non-governmental organisation.
The Al-Menber National Islamic Society is the political wing of the Sunni Islamist Al Eslah Society in Bahrain and Bahrain's branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The president and patron of the Al Eslah Society is Shaikh Isa bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, a member of the Al Khalifa royal family and former labor minister of Bahrain. Prominent members of Al-Menber include Salah Abdulrahman, Salah Al Jowder, and outspoken MP Mohammed Khalid. The party has generally backed government-sponsored legislation on economic issues, but has sought a clampdown on pop concerts, sorcery and soothsayers. Additionally, it has strongly opposed the government's accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Gulf Centre for Democratic Development (GCDD) is a training, information, and advocacy institution dedicated to promoting and nurturing democratic values in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries as defined in the International Bill of Human Rights. It is a non-governmental organization based in London, UK. Its current secretary-general is Dr Salah Al Bandar.
General elections were held in Bahrain in November and December 2006 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was held on 25 November, with a second round on 2 December 2006.
Bahrain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010". Their subsequent report in 2020 noted that the human rights situation in the country had not improved.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bahrain:
The 2011Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and protests in Tunisia and Egypt and escalated to daily clashes after the Bahraini government repressed the revolt with the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Peninsula Shield Force. The Bahraini protests were a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of non-violent civil disobedience and some violent resistance in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. As part of the revolutionary wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, the Bahraini protests were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and equality for the 70% Shia population.
The international reactions to the 2011 Bahraini uprising include responses by supranational organisations, non-governmental organisations, media organisations, and both the governments and civil populaces, like of fellow sovereign states to the protests and uprising in Bahrain during the Arab Spring. The small island nation's territorial position in the Persian Gulf not only makes it a key contending regional power but also determines its geostrategic position as a buffer between the Arab World and Iran. Hence, the geostrategic implications aid in explaining international responses to the uprising in Bahrain. Accordingly, as a proxy state between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Bahrain's domestic politics is both wittingly and unavoidably shaped by regional forces and variables that determine the country's response to internal and external pressures.
The Day of Rage is the name given by protesters in Bahrain to 14 February 2011, the first day of the national uprising as part of the Arab Spring. Inspired by successful uprisings in Egypt and in Tunisia, Bahraini youth organised protests using social-media websites. They appealed to the Bahraini people "to take to the streets on Monday 14 February in a peaceful and orderly manner". The day had a symbolic value, being the ninth and tenth anniversaries of the country's 2002 constitution and the National Action Charter respectively.
The background of the Bahraini uprising dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The Bahraini people have protested sporadically throughout the last decades demanding social, economic and political rights. Demonstrations were present as early as the 1920s and the first municipal election was held in 1926. Ruled by Al Khalifas since 1783, Bahrain was a British protectorate for most of the twentieth century. The National Union Committee (NUC) formed in 1954 was the earliest serious challenge to the status quo. Two year after its formation, NUC leaders were imprisoned and deported by authorities.
The Bahrain Thirteen are thirteen Bahraini opposition leaders, rights activists, bloggers and Shia clerics arrested between 17 March and 9 April 2011 in connection with their role in the national uprising. In June 2011, they were tried by a special military court, the National Safety Court, and convicted of "setting up terror groups to topple the royal regime and change the constitution"; they received sentences ranging from two years to life in prison. A military appeal court upheld the sentences in September. The trial was "one of the most prominent" before the National Safety Court. A retrial in a civilian court was held in April 2012 but the accused were not released from prison. The sentences were upheld again on 4 September 2012. On 7 January 2013, the defendants lost their last chance of appeal when the Court of Cassation, Bahrain's top court upheld the sentences.
Al Khawalid, also spelled Al Khawaled, is a branch of the House of Khalifa, the ruling family of Bahrain. Al Khawalid is most often used to refer collectively to descendants of Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, which they are named after. The term also refers to brothers Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Royal Court Minister and Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa the Commander in Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force. For the purpose of this article, immediate descendants of Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa will be referred to as "the Khalids", the aforementioned two brothers will be referred to as "the Khawalid brothers" and the family branch collectively as "Al Khawalid".
References
- 300 protesters in Bahrain demand investigation into alleged conspiracy to rig elections, International Herald Tribune, 17 November 2006
- Report Cites Bid by Sunnis in Bahrain to Rig Elections, The New York Times, 2 October 2006
- Al-Bandar Ejection Exposes Bahrain Split, The Washington Post , 2 October 2006
- Allegations of treason, vote-rigging warn of sectarian strife ahead of Bahrain elections, International Herald Tribune, 2 October 2006
- « Bandargate » et tensions confessionnelles, Alain Gresh, Le Monde diplomatique, 19 October 2006
- Al Bander-Gate: A Political Scandal In Bahrain Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine , Bahrain Center for Human Rights, September 2006
- Documents related to Bandargate, Bahrain Center for Human Rights
- BandarGate, Lord Eric Avebury, 5 October 2006
- Banning Publication of News or Information Related to the “Bandar-Gate” Scandal, Bahrain Center for Human Rights, 6 October 2006
- “Bandar-Gate” and the Dangerous Role Played by Some Human Rights Societies and its Relation to the secret organization Archived 2019-02-27 at the Wayback Machine , Statement by Bahraini Human Rights Activists, 10 October 2006
- Activists and journalist receive threats for highlighting Bandargate scandal, Bahrain Center for Human Rights, 12 October 2006
- Bahrain: Must be election season, Toby Jones, 12 October 2006
- Concern over the lack of an official response to Al Bandergate, Bahrain Center for Human Rights, 13 October 2006
- Petition From A Hundred Prominent Figures And Activists To The King Of Bahrain regarding Bandargate scandal Archived 2019-02-27 at the Wayback Machine , 13 October 2006
- Documentary video: Political Naturalization in Bahrain Archived 2017-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
- Mahmood's Den Bandargate Archive
- Bandargate Blog
- BANDARGATE!, Gulf Daily News, 24 September 2006
- BANDARGATE: The unanswered questions, Gulf Daily News, 27 September 2006
- Probe Call, Gulf Daily News, 27 September 2006
- MPs call for Al Bandar probe, Gulf Daily News, 27 September 2006
- Secret offer to run society is alleged, Gulf Daily News, 29 September 2006
- Activists charting action plan, Gulf Daily News, 29 September 2006
- High Court issues Bandar Press gag [ permanent dead link ], Gulf Daily News, 5 October 2006
- Societies call to lift Press gag [ permanent dead link ], Gulf Daily News, 9 October 2006
- Video: Press conference of Salah Al Bandar the UK House of Lords (Parts: 1, 2, 3)
- Video: Discussion with Salah Al Bandar on Kawthar TV (Parts: 1, 2, 3)