Constitution of Bahrain

Constitution of Bahrain
Bahrain

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Bahrain



Other countries · Atlas
Politics portal
view · talk · edit

Bahrain has had two constitutions in its modern history. The first one was promulgated in 1973, and the second one in 2002.

Contents

Constitution of 1973

The constitution of 1973 was written shortly after Bahrain's independence from Britain in 1971. In 1972, the then ruler Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa issued a decree providing for the election of a Constituent Assembly that would be responsible for drafting and ratifying the constitution. The electorate of the constituent assembly was native-born male citizens aged twenty years or older. The constituent assembly consisted of twenty-two elected delegates, plus the twelve members of the Council of Ministers and eight members directly appointed by the emir Shaikh Isa.[1]

The constitution drawn up provided for a unicameral legislature (the National Assembly) consisting of 30 members elected through "universal suffrage" (though franchise was restricted to males), plus fourteen royally-appointed government ministers who are ex officio members. The constitution was enacted by amiri decree in December 1973.[1]

Only one parliamentary election was ever held under the 1973 Constitution (see: Bahraini parliamentary election, 1973) before it was abrogated by the emir Shaikh Isa in 1975. The country was governed under emergency laws from 1975 to 2002.[1]

Constitution of 2002

After the death of the Amir Shaikh Isa Al Khalifa in 1999, his throne was taken over by his son Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa. Seeking to bring an end to the 1990s uprising in Bahrain, he announced a new set of democratic reforms, including a promise to return to constitutional rule.

In 2001 His Majesty King Hamad put forward the National Action Charter which would return the country to constitutional rule. However the opposition was opposed to the Charter's call for an amendment to the 1973 Constitution, changing the legislature from unicameral to bicameral. The Charter stated that "the legislature will consist of two chambers, namely one that is constituted through free, direct elections whose mandate will be to enact laws, and a second one that would have people with experience and expertise who would give advice as necessary." The opposition groups deemed this statement to be too ambiguous, and remained opposed to the Charter.

His Majesty King Hamad responded by holding a highly publicized meeting with the spiritual leaders of the Shia Islamist opposition. He signed a document clarifying that the only the elected lower house of the parliament would have legislative power, while the appointed upper house would have a strictly advisory role. Upon this assurance, the main opposition groups accepted the Charter and called for a 'Yes' vote in the national referendum. The Charter was accepted in the 2001 referendum with 98.4% voting 'Yes' for it.

However, in 2002 His Majesty King Hamad promulgated the 2002 Constitution, without any public consultation, in which both the elected and the royally-appointed chambers of parliament were given equal legislative powers, going back on his public promise of 2001. As a result, the parliamentary elections due to be held later that year were boycotted by a group of four political societies; Al Wefaq, a Shia Islamist group, thought to be the most popular political society in the country, National Democratic Action, the largest Leftist political society, Islamic Action Society, a marginal Shia Islamist society, and the Nationalist Democratic Rally Society, a marginal Arab Nationalist society.

References

  1. ^ a b c Bahrain, Federal Research Division, 2004, Kessinger Publishing, pp 97 - 98

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Constitution of the Republic of China — Traditional Chinese 中華民國憲 …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of Malaysia — Ratified 27 August 1957 Authors Delegates of the Reid Commission and later of the Cobbold Commission Purpose Indepe …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of the Philippines — Created 1986 Ratified February 2, 1987 Authors Cecilia Muñoz Palma (deceased) …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of Indonesia — Ratified 18 August 1945 Authors Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence Purpose Independence of Indonesia …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran — Created October 24, 1979 Ratified July 28, 1989 …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of Russia — Presidential copy of the Constitution. Ratified 12 December 1993 …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of Georgia (country) — Constitution of Georgia Constitution of Georgia Created July 2, 1995 …   Wikipedia

  • Constitution of Cyprus — Ratified August 16, 1960 Location Unknown Signatories Members of the Cypriot government …   Wikipedia

  • Bahrain — /bah rayn , ruyn , beuh /, n. 1. a sheikdom in the Persian Gulf, consisting of a group of islands: formerly a British protectorate; declared independent 1971. 603,318; 232 sq. mi. (601 sq. km). Cap.: Manama. 2. the largest island in this group:… …   Universalium

  • National Assembly of Bahrain — Bahrain This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Bahrain Constitution King Hamad bin Is …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”