Council of Representatives (Bahrain)

The first election under the 2002 Constitution was the 2002 Bahraini general election, which was boycotted by the Shia Islamist Al Wefaq, the country's largest political party, as well as the left-wing National Democratic Action Society, the Nationalist Democratic Rally Society, and the radical Shia Islamist Islamic Action Society. They claimed that the 2002 Constitution gave too much power to the unelected Consultative Council, and demanded a reform of the constitution. Although all candidates ran as independents due to the ban on political parties, six political societies gained representation in the Council of Representatives. The Islamic Forum and al Asalah both won six seats, Rabita al-Islami won three seats, the Shura Society and the National Democratic Assembly both won two seats, whilst al Meethaq won one.[2]

At the 2006 Bahraini general election, the four parties that boycotted the 2002 elections fielded candidates. To meet the challenge posed by Al Wefaq, the two main Sunni Islamist parties, the salafist Asalah and the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Al-Menbar Islamic Society, agreed to form a coalition to maximise their votes. At the election, Al Wefaq won 17 seats, Al-Menbar won 7 seats and Asalah won 5 seats. 11 seats were won by independents.

At the 2010 Bahraini general election, Al Wefaq won 18 seats, Al-Menbar won 2 seats and Asalah won 3 seats. 17 seats were won by independents. Two months later, the Arab Spring protests that started in Tunisia, spread to Bahrain in February 2011 with the start of the Pearl uprising. In a brutal crackdown, backed by 1,500 troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as part of the Peninsula Shield Force, the government cleared the main protest site at the Pearl Roundabout. All 18 members of Al-Wefaq resigned from the Council in protest at governmental actions during the uprising[3] and the party was temporarily banned. The vacant seats were won by independents in the subsequent by-elections.

At the 2014 Bahraini general election, Al Wefaq again boycotted the election.[4] Independents won 37 seats with Sunni Islamists losing two of their five seats. The number of Shiite MPs fell to 14 as a result of the Al-Wefaq boycott.

At the 2018 Bahraini general election, Al-Wefaq and secular Waad were barred from fielding candidates, prompting renewed calls for a boycott. A court had banned Al Wefaq in 2016 for "harbouring terrorism", inciting violence and encouraging demonstrations which threatened to spark sectarian strife.[5] According to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television and international print media report, Bahrain's highest court dissolved Al Wefaq and confiscated the group's funds in July 2016.[6] Waad was banned on terrorism charges in June 2017.[7] At the election, independents won 35 seats, Al Asalah won 3 seats and the Progressive Democratic Tribune (al-Minbar, effectively the successor to the National Liberation Front – Bahrain) won 2 seats.

In March 2012 the Council of Representatives for the first time since the Council’s establishment in 2002 voted to reject a royal decree issued by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The decree was to increase the government's share in the revenues of Tamkeen, the country’s labour fund, from 20% to 50%.[10]

Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa, the Minister of Justice, is also the head of the electoral commission.

• Bahraini National Assembly
• Consultative Council of Bahrain
• List of Speakers of the Council of Representatives of Bahrain
• Politics of Bahrain
• List of legislatures by country

• Council of Representatives official website
• Key issues are "ignored by MPs", Gulf Daily News, 21 January 2006 covers attitudes among civil society groups to MPs' performance since 2002
• Constitution of Bahrain (2002):Part 2 The Chamber of Deputies