2018 Bahraini general election
General elections were held in Bahrain in November and December 2018 to elect the 40 members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was on Saturday, 24 November,[1] with a second round in 31 constituencies on Saturday, 1 December.[2] A municipal poll coincided with the parliamentary vote.
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Bahrain |
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The elections were considered to be a sham,[3][4] as they followed a government crackdown on dissent that included prohibiting members of dissolved opposition groups from running.[5] Following the 2011 Bahraini protests, all 18 Al Wefaq members on the Council resigned,[6] and were barred from contesting the subsequent by-elections. Since 2011, authorities have imprisoned hundreds of dissidents, including Al Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman, and stripped many of Bahraini citizenship.[7] Al Wefaq boycotted the 2014 Bahraini general election.
The two main opposition groups, the Shiite Al-Wefaq and secular Waad, were barred from fielding candidates in 2018, prompting renewed calls for a boycott. A court banned Al Wefaq in 2016 for "harbouring terrorism", inciting violence and encouraging demonstrations which threatened to spark sectarian strife.[7] On 17 July 2016, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television and international print media reported that Bahrain's highest court dissolved Al Wefaq and liquidated the group's funds.[8]
Electoral system
The 40 members of the Council of Representatives were elected from single-member constituencies using a two-round system; if no candidate received a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round was held.[9]
Constituencies
Each governorate is divided into a number of constituencies for the election for the Council of Representatives. Each constituency is listed as area 1, area 2 etc. Each constituency elects one member. Only Bahraini nationals are entitled to stand for and to vote at elections.
| Governorate | Population (2010) | Non-nationals (2010) | Nationals (2010) | Divisions (2018) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Governorate | 329,510 | 261,921 | 67,589 | 10 |
| Muharraq Governorate | 189,114 | 86,870 | 102,244 | 8 |
| Northern Governorate | 276,949 | 82,887 | 194,062 | 12 |
| Southern Governorate | 101,456 | 68,525 | 32,931 | 10 |
| Other | 11,237 | 11,237 | ||
| Total | 1,234,571 | 666,172 | 568,399 | 40 |
Source: Population by Governorate[10]
Campaign
Candidates had to apply between 17 and 21 October 2018,[1] with 293 registering to contest the 40 seats.[11]
Results
Nine of the 40 constituencies were decided in the first round, with the other 31 going to a runoff.[12] According to the government, voter turnout in the first round was 67%, an increase from 53% in the 2014 elections. However, the opposition claimed that the real voter turnout did not exceed 28%-30%.[13][14][15]
List of elected members
| Constituency | Elected member |
|---|---|
| Capital First | Abel Abdulrahman Mohammed Ahmed Alasoomi |
| Capital Second | Sawsan Mohamed Abdulrahim Kamal |
| Capital Third | Mamdooh Abbas Ahmad Alsaleh |
| Capital Fourth | Ammar Ahmed Ghuloom Albannai |
| Capital Fifth | Ahmed Sabah Salman Alsalloom |
| Capital Sixth | Masooma Hasan Abdulhusain Abdulrahim |
| Capital Seventh | Zainab Abdulameer Khalil Ebrahim |
| Capital Eighth | Fadhel Abbas Ali Isa Alsawad |
| Capital Ninth | Ammar Husain Ebrahim Abbas |
| Capital Tenth | Ali Mohamed Isa Abdulla Eshaqui |
| Muharraq First | Hamad Ahmed Mohamed Saleh Alkooheji |
| Muharraq Second | Ebrahim Khalid Ebrahim Alnefaei |
| Muharraq Third | Mohamed Isa Ahmed Abdulla Ali |
| Muharraq Fourth | Ghazi Abdulaziz Yusuf Jaafar Almurbati |
| Muharraq Fifth | Khaled Saleh Ahmed Buanaq |
| Muharraq Sixth | Hisham Ahmed Yusuf Ahmed Alasheeri |
| Muharraq Seventh | Ammar Sami Ali Hasan Qambar |
| Muharraq Eighth | Yusuf Ahmed Hasan Hohamed Althawadi |
| Northern First | Kaltham Abdulkareem Jassim |
| Northern Second | Fatema Abbas Qasim Mohamed |
| Northern Third | Abdulla Ebrahim Mubarak Khalil Aldoseri |
| Northern Fourth | Ghazi Faisal Hasan Husain al Rahma |
| Northern Fifth | Sayed Falah Hashem Falah Abdulla |
| Northern Sixth | Abdulnabi Salman Ahmed Naser |
| Northern Seventh | Ahmed Yusuf Ahmed Aldamestani |
| Northern Eighth | Abdulla Khalifa Juma Abdulkarim Althawadi |
| Northern Ninth | Yusuf Zainalabddin Mohamed Zainal |
| Northern Tenth | Basem Salman Mohamed Salman Erhama Almalki |
| Northern Eleventh | Mohamed Khalifa Abdulla Husain Buhamood |
| Northern Twelfth | Mahamood Maki Salman |
| Southern First | Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Saad Alaamer |
| Southern Second | Isa Ali Jamal Alquadhi |
| Southern Third | Ahmed Yusuf Abdulqader Mohamed Alansari |
| Southern Fourth | Ali Ahmed Ali Zayed |
| Southern Fifth | Fawzia Zainal |
| Southern Sixth | Abdulrazaq Abdulla Ali Hattab |
| Southern Seventh | Ali Majed Ali Hasan Almajed Alnoaimi |
| Southern Eighth | Mohamed Ebrahim Ali Muhana Alsisi Albuainain |
| Southern Ninth | Bader Saood Jabur Abdulla Aldoseri |
| Southern Tenth | Isa Yusuf Abdulla Ahmed Aldoseri |
| Source: Elections 2018, Elections 2018 | |
References
- "Bahrain to hold parliamentary elections on Nov. 24 - state news agency". Reuters. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- Bahrain announces election results as palace prepares for visit from Saudi crown prince The National, 25 November 2018
- After Khashoggi's murder, it’s time for the world to stop ignoring Bahrain’s abuses The New York Times, 22 November 2018
- What "Elections" in Bahrain Can Teach Us About Politics in the Middle East UN Dispatch, 7 December 2018
- "Bahrain Moves to Ban Opposition Ahead of 2018 Elections". Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- Bahraini woman dies 'during protest' Al Jazeera, 16 July 2011
- Experts cast doubt on upcoming Bahrain elections
- AP (17 July 2016). "Bahrain court orders Shia opposition group to be dissolved". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- Electoral system IPU
- "Population by Governorate" (PDF). Census 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-25. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- Bahrain poll results expected today Gulf News, 25 November 2018
- Run-off for 31 seats after first round of Bahrain's elections GDN Online, 26 November 2018
- "Record number of Bahraini women elected to parliament". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- "Al-Wefaq Announces Failure of Elections: 30% Turnout at Most, Int'l Community Should Respect Bahraini People's Will". Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- "Bahrain opposition: Voter turnout did not exceed 30%". 26 November 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.