Bahrain
Country comprising a group of islands in the Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Government
Since 2002, Bahrain has been a constitutional monarchy, with a king, Sheikh Hamad, as head of state, but with an elected lower house of parliament. The legislature comprises two chambers: a lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, with 40 members directly elected for four-year terms by popular vote, and an upper house, the Shura Council, with 40 members appointed by the king. A prime minister, appointed by the king, heads the government and presides over a cabinet of more than 20 ministers.
History
Traditionally an Arab monarchy, Bahrain was under Portuguese rule during the 16th century and from 1602 was dominated by Persia (now Iran). Bahrain became a sheikdom in 1783 under the control of the Khalifa dynasty. British assistance was sought to preserve the country's independence against claims of sovereignty made by Persia and the Ottoman Empire. It became a British protectorate in 1861, with government shared between the ruling sheikh and a British adviser. Iran (Persia) claimed sovereignty in 1928 but accepted a United Nations report in 1970 showing that the inhabitants of Bahrain preferred independence.
Independence achieved
Britain announced the withdrawal of its forces in 1968, and Bahrain joined two other territories under British protection, Qatar and the Trucial States (now the
United Arab Emirates), to form the Federation of Arab Emirates. Qatar and the Trucial States left the federation in 1971, and Bahrain became an independent state. A new constitution in 1973 provided for an elected national assembly, but two years later the prime minister, Sheikh al-Khalifa, complained of obstruction by the assembly, which was then dissolved.
Absolute emirate
From 1975 to 2002 the emir and his family have ruled with virtually absolute power. Bahrain benefitted from the boom in world oil prices in the 1970s and diversified its economy in the 1980s to become a financial centre. In 1981, inspired by the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, fundamentalist Shia Muslims, led by the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain, attempted a coup against Bahrain's Sunni Muslim monarchy. This failed, but during the 1990s the Front carried out a series of terrorist bomb attacks in Bahrain. In 1994 there were public protests and riots led by the majority Shia Muslim community, calling for the reinstatement of a national assembly. The following year, pro-democracy demonstrations were violently suppressed, resulting in 11 deaths. In May 1996, the emir responded by offering an expanded consultative assembly as a move towards a more democratic system of government.
Democratic change
In March 1999, Sheikh Hamad succeeded as head of state following his father's death. The new Sheikh instituted social and political reforms, including allowing elections to parliament and giving women the right to vote, which helped bring an end to political violence. In October 2000, a new Shura was sworn in by the emir. For the first time, it included women, a Christian, and a Jew. In February 2001, in the first referendum since Bahrain's independence from Britain in 1971, the people of Bahrain voted in favour of a charter to institute a partially-elected parliament, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary, and grant women political rights. The referendum was also the first time women were given the right to vote. The same month Sheikh Hamad released hundreds of prisoners imprisoned for political crimes during the 1990s, and abolished security laws in force since 1975. This ensured that the Shia opposition supported the constitutional reforms.
Foreign affairs
In March 2001, Bahrain and Qatar accepted the ruling of the International Court of Justice on a long-standing territorial
dispute. Bahrain's navy provided support to the US-led 2001 military action against the fundamentalist Taliban in Afghanistan, but the country opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. In 2004, Bahrain agreed a free-trade agreement with the USA.
From emirate to constitutional monarchy
The emir proclaimed himself king on 14 January 2002 and declared the emirate a democratic constitutional monarchy modelled on the UK. The first parliamentary elections were held in 2002, with women voting and standing for office for the first time, and elections were held again in November–December 2006. Shia and Sunni Islamist parties dominated the elections. In 2004, Bahrain had its first femal cabinet minister.
| Bahrain is the site of the Gulf University (1986) and an international airport, the centre of Gulf aviation. A causeway linking Bahrain with mainland Saudi Arabia was constructed in 1986 (at 25 km/15.5 mi it is the longest in the world). |
