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Political parties are illegal in Bahrain but operate as de facto political parties under the term political societies. Political societies in Bahrain range from the communist left to the Islamist right.
| Name (English) | Name (Arabic) | Acronym | Leader | Political positions & ideologies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Asalah Islamic Society | جمعية الأصالة الإسلامية | Asalah | Ghanim Al-Buaneen | |
| Al-Menbar Islamic Society | جمعية المنبر الوطني الإسلامي | - | Ali Ahmed Abdulla | Islamism |
| National Justice Movement | حركة العدالة الوطنية | - | Abdullah Hashem | |
| Al Meethaq | جمعية ميثاق العمل الوطني | - | - | Liberalism |
| Economists Bloc | كتلة الاقتصاديون | - | - | Liberalism |
| Name (English) | Name (Arabic) | Acronym | Leader | Political positions & ideologies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Wefaq National Islamic Society | Jam'iyat al-Wifaq al-Watani al-Islamiyah جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية | Al-Wefaq | Shaikh ali Salman | Islamism |
| February 14 Youth Coalition | إئتلاف شباب ثورة 14 فبراير | The Coalition الإئتلاف | Anonymous activists | |
| Haq Movement | حركة حق حركة الحريات والديمقراطية | HM | Hasan Mushaima | Constitutionalism |
| Al Wafa' Islamic Movement [ citation needed ] | تيار االوفاء الإسلامي | Al-Wafa الوفاء | Abdulwahab Hussain | Islamism |
| National Democratic Action Society | جمعية العمل الوطني الديمقراطي |
| Fouad Seyadi | |
| Islamic Action Society | Jamʿiyah al-ʿAmal al-ʾIslami جمعية العمل الإسلامي | Amal أمل | Muħammad Ali al-Mahfuodh | |
| Bahrain Freedom Movement | Harakat Ahrar al-Bahrayn حركة أحرار البحرين الإسلامية | BFM | Saeed al-Shehabi | |
| Nationalist Democratic Assembly | Al-Tajamu'u Al-Qawmi Al-Dimuqratiyah التجمع القومي الديمقراطي | NDA | Hassan Ali | Ba'athism |
| Progressive Democratic Tribune | جمعية المنبر الديمقراطي التقدمي | PDT | Hassan Madan | |
| Unitary National Democratic Assemblage [ citation needed ] | جمعية التجمع الوطني الديمقراطي الوحدوي | Al Wahdawi الوحدوي | Hasan Al-Marzooq | - |
| Al Ekha National Society [ citation needed ] | جمعية الإخاء الوطني | Al Ekha الإخاء | Musa Ghuloom Al-Ansari | - |
| Shabeeba Society of Bahrain | جمعية الشبيبة البحرينية | - | - | - |
| National Liberation Front – Bahrain | جبهة التحرير الوطني—البحرين | NLF | - | |
| Al-Ashtar Brigades | سرايا الأشتر | - | - | Pro-Iran |
| Al-Mukhtar Brigades | سرايا المختار | - | - | Shia Islamism |
| Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain | الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير البحرين | PFLB | Abdulrahman Al-Nuaimi | |
| Islamic Dawa Party – Bahrain | حزب الدعوة الاسلامية - البحرين | - | Solaiman Al-Madani | Islamism |
| Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain | الجبهة الإسلامية لتحرير البحرين | IFLB | - |
registered opposition:
The unlicensed opposition:
| Pro-government parties | |
|---|---|
| Opposition Parties | |
| Banned Parties | |
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 bicameral legislature, with the Council of Representatives elected by universal suffrage, and the Consultative Council appointed directly by the king.
The National Democratic Labour Action Society – Wa'ad is Bahrain's largest leftist political party.
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.
Bahrain has had two constitutions in its modern history. The first one was promulgated in 1973, and the second one in 2002.
The Islamic Action Society, sometimes shortened to ʿAmal, was one of the main Islamist political parties in Bahrain, and mainly appealed to Shīʻa followers of the Islamic philosopher Mohammad Hussaini Shirazi, who are known as "the Shirāzī faction".
The Bahrain Freedom Movement is a London-based Bahraini opposition group which has its headquarters in a north London mosque. Its main medium is the Voice of Bahrain website which was blocked for several years by Batelco, Bahrain's sole Internet service provider, on orders from the Ministry of Information.
The National Justice Movement, also known as the al-Adala Society, is a secular and Arab nationalist political party in Bahrain.
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.
Munira Fakhro is a Bahraini academic and was a candidate in Bahrain's 2006 general election for the opposition Waad.
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.
The Al-Asalah Islamic Society is the main Sunni Salafist political party in Bahrain. The party is the political wing of the Islamic Education Society which funds the party. Asalah's leader is Ghanim Al Buaneen, who took over in 2005 from Adel Mouwda, who was sacked because he was perceived to be too close to Shia Islamists in the Al-Wefaq party. Asalah is most popular in the conservative bastions of Muharraq and Riffa. Asala often aligns with Al-Menbar to outvote Al-Wefaq.
In the 2000s in Bahrain the government instituted political reforms and relaxed economic controls.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bahrain:
General elections were held in Bahrain in October 2010 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was held on 23 October, with a second round on 30 October. Amidst boycotts and arrests, Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats. Four women were elected.
Coalition Youth of 14 Feb Revolution, sometimes called The Coalition is a Bahraini youth group, named after the date of the beginning of Bahrain's uprising, and led by anonymous individuals who organize protests chiefly via new-media sites. The Coalition first appeared on the popular pro-democracy forum Bahrain Online. Their Facebook page started in April 2011 where they have 65,282 likes. It is the main Facebook page that calls for daily peaceful demonstrations and protests. One of the first sub-groups called February 14 Youth was behind the call for demonstrations on February 14, 2011, named "Day of Rage" and developed later to a nationwide uprising. in 2017, the group has been designated as a terrorist organization by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
Abdulwahab Hussain Ali Ahmed Esmael is a Bahraini political activist, writer, religious figure and philosopher. He was one of the most prominent opposition leaders in the 1990s uprising when he was arrested twice for a total length of five years in which he was allegedly subjected to solitary confinement and torture. After his release in 2001, he supported government reform plans.
The Bahraini opposition refers to a group of political groups who are opposed to the Cabinet of Bahrain government and the ruling monarch of the Sunni House of Khalifa. Currently, the Bahraini opposition can be divided into the officially registered political parties, who demand reforms to the current political system, and the unregistered opposition groups. Most of the opposition from the majority Shia population of Bahrain.
General elections were held in Bahrain in November 2014 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting took place on 22 November, with a second round on 29 November in the 34 constituencies in which no candidate received a majority.
The al-Mukhtar Brigades, also called Saraya al-Makhtar or Bahraini Islamic Resistance, is a Bahraini Shia insurgent movement that has taken part in several attacks against government targets. It is classified as a terrorist organization by multiple countries, including the United States and United Kingdom. The United States and Bahrain have both accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of backing the organization. It is one of the main opposition movements in Bahrain to take up arms and is one of the rebel factions of the insurgency in Bahrain, the main other being the al-Ashtar Brigades.
