Elections in Bahrain

The National Assembly is bicameral with the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, having 40 members elected in single-seat constituencies for a four-year term. The upper house, the Shura Council, has 40 members appointed by the King of Bahrain, with the stated aim of giving a voice to minority communities and technocratic experts within the legislative process. Supporters of the system refer to long established democracies the United Kingdom and Canada operating with this bicameralism with an appointed upper chamber and an elected lower chamber. Opponents of this system point out that unlike the bicameral systems in the UK and Canada, the Bahraini system gives the unelected upper house equal or more legislative power than the elected lower house, allowing the King to control all legislation. Opponents also point out that the current system was imposed unilaterally by the King, violating the and a 2001 signed agreement with the Bahraini opposition.

Forty seats were elected on October 24, 2010, with the runoffs that were needed on October 30. A total of 127 candidates competed in the election, which was also chose municipal councils.

More thant 318,000 were eligible to vote. Head of the electoral commission and Justice Minister, Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa, gave an estimate of turnout of "at least 67 percent," less than the 72% in 2006 and 53.4% in 2002. 127 candidates stood in the election.

The Wefaq National Islamic Society won 18 of the 40 seats, 1 more than the previous election. Combined Shiite and independent (Sunni) candidates won a majority of seats for the first time.

The constitution of parliament following the results of the 2010 elections was altered by the Bahraini parliamentary by-election in September 2011.

The elections in 2002 were the first since the late emir Shaikh Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa dissolved the first elected parliament in 1975 and abrogated the 1973 Constitution (see: History of Bahrain).

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