Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain, or Bahrain (formerly spelled Bahrein), (Arabic: ????? ???????) is a borderless island nation in the Persian Gulf (Southwest Asia/Middle East, Asia). Saudi Arabia is to the west and is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway, and Qatar is to the south across the Persian Gulf. The Qatar?Bahrain Friendship Bridge, currently in planning, will link Bahrain to Qatar as the longest fixed link in the world.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Bahrain

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Bahrain is a constitutional monarchy headed by the King, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; the head of government is the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa who presides over a cabinet of 15 members. Bahrain has a bicameral legislature with a lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, elected by universal suffrage and the upper house, the Shura Council, appointed by the King. Both houses have forty members. The inaugural elections were held in 2002, with parliamentarians serving four year terms.

Related Topics:
Bahrain - Constitutional monarchy - Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa - Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa

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Women's political rights in Bahrain saw a big step forward when women were granted the right to vote and stand in national elections for the first time in 2002's election. However, no women were elected to office in that year?s polls and instead Shia and Sunni Islamists dominated the election, collectively winning a majority of seats. In response to the failure of women candidates, six were appointed to the Shura Council, which also includes representatives of the Kingdom?s indigenous Jewish and Christian communities.

Related Topics:
Women's political rights in Bahrain - Jewish - Christian

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The King recently created the Supreme Judicial Council to regulate the country's courts and institutionalize the separation of the administrative and judicial branches of government.

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