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State of Bahrain Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on State of Bahrain
Official Name: State of Bahrain
Capital: Manama
Area: 680 square kilometres ( 263 square miles )
Major cities (Population): Manama 136,999 (1991)
Population: 564,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.8 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Type of government: Traditional monarchy
Independence: 15 August 1971 (from the United Kingdom)
Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
Government
In 1783 the al-Khalifa Dynasty of the Utub people established Bahrain as an independent emirate, but it was soon eclipsed by Great Britain’s growing influence in the region. Beginning in 1861, the United Kingdom forced Bahrain to accept a series of treaties giving the British control over its external affairs. The significance of the emirate greatly increased when oil was discovered there in the 1930s.
The UK recognized Bahrain’s independence in 1913, but the islands remained under British administration until 1971. At that time, Bahrain became a fully independent state headed by Emir Shaikh Issa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who had been the Bahraini monarch since 1961. He was 38 years old at the time of independence and has ruled Bahrain ever since. The monarch appoints a cabinet of ministers to assist him, and the majority of these key government positions are held by members of the al-Khalifa family.
Bahrain employs the traditional Islamic administrative system of the majlis, which allows people to directly petition the emir. In practice, the relatively little time granted to citizens to meet with the emir means that not much more than greetings and pleasantries are exchanged.
The 1973 constitution provided for a unicameral legislature, but it was dissolved in 1975. A 30-member appointed shura (consultative council), which was established in 1992, can question the cabinet and comment on draft laws but has no legislative power. There are no political parties or elections.
Recent History
In 1995 a new wave of Shiite unrest broke out, prompting the first major cabinet reshuffle in nearly 20 years, although key posts remained in the same hands. The new cabinet consisted of seven members of the ruling al-Khalifa family, four other Sunni Muslims, and five Shiite Muslims. Tensions continue, and calls for the introduction of democratic reforms are increasing.
Bahrain has had a long-standing issue with Qatar regarding the Œawar Islands. Relations between the two countries showed signs of improvement in early 1997, although the issue still remained unresolved.
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