At stake in this Referendum:

• National Action Charter of Bahrain

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.

Main provisions in the of the Referendum:

• To establish a democratically elected chamber in parliament and to establish an independent judiciary.

Electoral Requirements:

• A majority of overall votes cast are required for the referendum to pass.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 634,137 (July 2001 )
• Registered Voters: 217,579 ( 2001 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 294,925 (2001)

·         Is Bahrain a signatory to CEDAW: No

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

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: N/A

·         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: 95,120 (est.)