Bahrain flag Bahrain: Economic and Political Overview

The political framework of Bahrain

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
King: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, since March 1999;
Prime minister: Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa since 11 November 2020.
Next Election Dates
Parliamentary and municipal elections: November 2026
Main Political Parties
Athough official political parties are illegal, the government authorises political societies and associations. Progovernmental societies include: The Al-Asalah Islamic Society, main Sunni Salafist political party in Bahrain, Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brothers), the Al Mustaqbal coalition; oppositional forces include Al-Wifaq (Shia), Democratic Action and Haq (Shia).
Executive Power
King Hamas bin Isa Al Khalifa has been the head of the state since March 1999. Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, his eldest son, is the prime minister since 11 November 2020 and is the head of the Council of Ministers.
Legislative Power
The legislative power belongs to the bicameral National Assembly, which consists of an elected Council of Representatives (40 seats) and the Consultative Council (Shure, 40 seats), whose members are appointed by the King.
 

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:
168/180
 

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:
Not Free
Political Freedom:
7/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

 

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Latest Update: February 2024

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