Bahrain

Country Flag: flag

Name of Country: Kingdom of Bahrain (Mamlakat al Bahrayn)

Map of Country:

Name of Capital City: Manama (Al Manamah)

Type of State: constitutional monarchy / unitary

Country Area: 707 (sq km)

Population: 727,785

note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2009 est.)

Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Religions: Muslim (Shia and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)

Administrative Divisions

5 governorates (muhafazat): The Capital, Muharraq, Northern, Central and Southern.

Date of Independence

Date of Constitution

The constitution went into effect on December 6, 1973 and was suspended in 1975.
Following a nationwide referendum on February 14 and 15, 2001 a National Charter was approved.
The king promulgated the Constitution on February 14, 2002 with amendments “carried out in accordance with the provisions of the National Action Charter.” The Constitution provides for a constitutional monarchy; separation of powers into legislative, executive and judicial branches; universal adult suffrage; a bicameral legislative system with an elected parliament and an appointed advisory council; equality before the law regardless of race, gender or religion, freedom of religion; private industry and the free movement of capital; and a system of financial controls and administration to ensure transparency in government finances.

Head of State

The head of state is the king.
The king appoints the Prime Minister and the cabinet and has broad executive and legislative powers. He is the commander in chief of the armed forces and the chief diplomat. He appoints the members of the executive branch.
Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa succeeded his late father as Emir on March 6, 1999, and became king on February 14, 2002.

Executive Branch

The king appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
The head of government is Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, since 1971.

Legislative Branch

A unicameral National Assembly was established in June 1972 and was dissolved on August 26, 1975. Legislative powers were assumed by the cabinet.
A Consultative Council (Majlis as-Shura) with 40 appointed members, established on December 16, 1992, had the right to propose legislation.
The amended Constitution, promulgated on February 14, 2002, established a bicameral legislature in place of the unicameral parliament. The legislature retains the appointed Consultative Council with expanded legislative powers as the upper house, and revives the Chamber of Deputies as a popularly elected body with power to propose and approve laws. Each house has 40 members.

Judiciary Branch

The judiciary is organized into two branches: the Civil Law Courts and the Shari’a Law Courts.
The Civil Law Courts are authorized to settle all commercial, civil, and criminal cases, and all cases involving disputes related to the personal status of non-Muslims.
The Shari’a Law Courts have jurisdiction over all issues related to the personal status of Muslims, both Bahraini and non-Bahraini.
The Supreme Court of Appeal or Court of Cassation (Mahkamat-al Tamyiz) was established in 1989, and serves as the final court of appeal for all civil, commercial, and criminal matters. The personal status cases of non-Muslims may also be appealed to this body.
The Higher Judicial Council was established in September 2000 to oversee the judiciary. According to the 2002 constitution, the King chairs the Council. Members include the presiding judge of the Court of Cassation as well as judges from the Shari’a and Civil High Courts of Appeal.
The Constitutional Court was also created by the 2002 Constitution with competence over the constitutionality of laws. It consists of a president and six members, all appointed by the King at the recommendation of the Higher Judicial Council.

Relationship Between the Three Branches

According to the provisions of the amended constitution, the legislative authority is vested in the king and the National Assembly, consisting of a Consultative Council and an elected Chamber of Deputies. Executive authority is vested in the king and his appointed Council of Ministers.
The king may issue decrees with the force of law, but they must be referred to both the Consultative Council and the Chamber of Deputies within a month of their promulgation or, if the National Assembly is not in session, within a month of the first new meetings of its respective chambers. If the two chambers do not confirm them, they retroactively cease to have the force of law.
The constitution establishes a Higher Judicial Authority to supervise the courts and a Constitutional Court to watch over the constitutionality of laws and statutes.

Legal system:

Based on Islamic law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

Membership in International Organizations

United Nations: September 21, 1971.
International Monetary Fund (IMF): September 7, 1972.
World Trade Organization (WTO): January 1, 1995.
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC): signed December 11, 2000, but not ratified.
World Bank – International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): September 15, 1972
World Bank – International Finance Corporation (IFC): September 22, 1995
World Bank – Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): April 12, 1988
World Bank – International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID): March 15, 1996
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Environment-current issues:

Desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources (groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs)

Environment-international agreements:

Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands.