National Assembly (Bahrain) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids National Assembly المجلس الوطني البحريني al-majlis al-watani
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Consultative Council Council of Representatives
Leadership
Chairman of the Consultative Council	Salim bin Rashid Al-Khalifa Since 15 December 2008
Speaker of the Council of Representatives	Ahmed bin Salman Al-Musallam Since 12 December 2022
Structure
Seats	80 40 in the Consultative Council 40 Representatives
Consultative Council political groups	Independent (40)
Council of Representatives political groups	Independent (40)
Elections
Consultative Council voting system	Appointed by the King
Council of Representatives voting system	Two-round system
Council of Representatives last election	12 November 2022
Meeting place
Manama

The National Assembly (Arabic: المجلس الوطني البحريني) is the main law-making group, or legislative body, in Bahrain. It's like a country's parliament. This assembly is bicameral, which means it has two parts, or "houses."

• One part is the Council of Representatives. It has 40 members who are chosen by the people in elections. This is often called the "lower house."
• The other part is the Consultative Council. It also has 40 members, but these members are chosen by the King. This is known as the "upper house."

When both parts of the National Assembly meet together, the meeting is usually led by the Speaker of the Council of Representatives. If that person isn't there, the Speaker of the Consultative Council takes over.

Bahrain's First National Assembly

The first National Assembly in Bahrain was set up in 1973. This happened under Bahrain's first constitution, which is like a rulebook for the country.

The 1973 Constitution and Voting

Under the 1973 Constitution, the National Assembly was supposed to have 40 members chosen by "universal suffrage." This means everyone who is old enough should be able to vote. However, at that time, the ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah, decided that women would not be allowed to vote in the 1973 elections. So, only men could vote.

History of the National Assembly

The very first National Assembly was elected in 1973. But it didn't last long. In 1975, the ruler, Shaikh Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa, closed down the Assembly. He did this because the Assembly didn't agree to pass a new law called the State Security Law. After that, the ruler did not allow the Assembly to meet or hold new elections for the rest of his life.

The Assembly Returns in 2002

After Shaikh Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa passed away in 1999, his son, Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah, became the new ruler. In 2002, the new ruler created a new constitution for Bahrain.

In the same year, elections were held for the Council of Representatives. The ruler also chose the members for the Consultative Council. This brought back the National Assembly, which had not met since 1975.

Latest Elections for the Assembly

The most recent elections for the Council of Representatives happened on 12 November 2022.

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