The National Assembly ( ar, المجلس الوطني البحريني) is the
legislative body of
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. Parliament is
bicameral, consisting of the 40 elected members of the
Council of Representatives (the
lower house) and the 40 royally-appointed members of the
Consultative Council (the
upper house
An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...
). The joint session of the National Assembly is chaired by the Speaker of the
Council of Representatives, or by the Speaker of the
Consultative Council if the former is absent.
Latest election
National Assembly under the 1973 constitution
Under the
1973 Constitution (
Article 43), the National Assembly was a single chamber parliament consisting of forty members elected by "universal suffrage". However, the then
Amir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
, Shaikh
Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah decreed that women would not be considered as "universal suffrage" and were not allowed to vote in the 1973 parliamentary elections.
History of the National Assembly of Bahrain
The first ever National Assembly in Bahrain was elected in 1973 under the statutes of the first constitution which was promulgated of that same year. In 1975, the Assembly was dissolved by the then Emir Shaikh
Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa because it refused to pass the government sponsored
State Security Law of 1974
Following Bahrain's independence from the British in 1971, the government of Bahrain embarked on an extended period of political suppression under a 1974 State Security Law shortly after the adoption of the country's first formal Constitution i ...
. The Emir subsequently did not allow the Assembly to meet again or hold elections during his lifetime.
Members of the 1973 National Assembly
After the death of
Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa in 1999, his son Shaikh
Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah, the new ruler of Bahrain promulgated the
Constitution of 2002. That same year elections were held for the
Council of Representatives and he appointed the members for the
Consultative Council, forming the first National Assembly since 1975.
See also
* Council of Representatives of Bahrain
* Consultative Council of Bahrain
* History of Bahrain
* Politics of Bahrain
* Constitution of Bahrain
* List of legislatures by country
References
External links
Council of RepresentativesConsultative Council* wikisource:Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain (2002)#Section 3 The Legislative Authority National Assembly, 2002 Constitution: Section 3 The Legislative Authority National Assembly
* wikisource:Constitution of the State of Bahrain (1973)#Chapter II Legislative Power, 1973 Constitution: Chapter II Legislative Power
{{Asia topic, Parliament of
National Assembly (Bahrain),
1973 establishments in Bahrain
National legislatures, Bahrain
Government of Bahrain
Bicameral legislatures, Bahrain