At stake in this election:

• 40 seats in the House of Deputies

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa
• Head of Government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa
• Assembly: Bahrain has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Shura Council with 40 seats and the House of Deputies with 40 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is hereditary.
• Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch.
• In the Shura Council 40 members are appointed by the monarch. In the House of Deputies 40 members are elected by direct vote to serve 4-year terms.

Main Parties in the electoral race:

• Independents*

*All candidates are officially independent, as political parties are banned in Bahrain. However, 6 civic movements gained representation: the Islamic Forum (6 seats), Al-Asalah (6 seats), Rabita al-Islami (3 seats), the Shura Society (2 seats), the National Democratic Assembly (2 seats), and al Meethaq (1 seat).

Last Parliamentary election:

• This is the first legislative election in Bahrain in nearly 30 years. The framework for this legislation was enacted under the revised 2002 constitution.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 725,365 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 243,637 (121,768 men; 121,869 women)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 304,113 (2002)

·         Is Bahrain a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Bahrain ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (18 June 2002)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 0 (following 2002 election)

·         Human Development Index Position: 45 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Bahrain a signatory to CRPD: Yes (25 June 2007)

·         Has Bahrain ratified CRPD: Yes (22 September 2011)

·         Population with a disability: 108,804 (est.)