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Bahrain
Women in decision-making positions
10%
Members of local deliberative bodies are women (3 elected women)
No woman is Head of Government
20%
Parliamentarians are women
22%
Ministers are women

Government organization

Spheres of government

Bahrain is a unitary monarchy with two spheres of government: central and local.

One tier of central government and one tier of local government composed of four elements: Capital Secretariat, Municipality of Muharraq, Northern Municipality and Southern Municipality.

  • Head of State: The King assumes the role hereditarily.
  • Head of Government: The Prime Minister is appointed by a Royal Order of the King.
  • Legislative body: The National Assembly is a bicameral legislature with an upper house (the Consultative Council) and a lower house (the Chamber of Deputies). The Consultative Council is composed of forty members appointed by Royal Decree of the King. The Chamber of Deputies is composed of members directly elected by voters.
  • Executive body: The Council of Ministers consists of the Prime Minister and ministers proposed by the Prime Minister to be appointed by Royal Decree of the King.

  • Organization: Local government is organized into one tier consisting of the Capital Secretariat, the Municipality of Muharraq, the Northern Municipality, and the Southern Municipality.
  • Competencies: Local government is responsible for lending, borrowing, or guaranteeing loans, possessing a budget, and administering public facilities of a local nature.
  • Ministerial oversight: Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs, and Urban Planning

Overview of local government

Local government composition

Deliberative body: The municipal council is composed of at least six elected members. A council president is elected by and from the municipal council to preside over it; the council president is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The general director, assisted by departmental heads, is appointed by decree.

Deliberative body: The Council of the Capital Secretariat is composed of ten members, including the council president, who are appointed by the King. The council president presides over the Council of the Capital Secretariat and is not vested with executive powers.

Executive body: The general director, assisted by departmental heads, is appointed by decree.

Local government elections

Electoral system for local deliberative bodies: majority/plurality (two-round system)

  • Municipal council members are directly elected by voters within single-member constituencies. The Municipality of Muharraq is organized into eight constituencies, the Northern Municipality is organized into 12 constituencies, and the Southern Municipality is organized into nine constituencies.
  • The member of the Municipal Council shall be elected by an absolute majority of the number of valid votes that were given in the election, and if this majority is not available to one of the candidates in the district, the election shall be rerun between the two obtaining the largest number of votes, and in case of a tie in votes, a lot is taken between them with the knowledge of the Chairman of the Polling and Sorting Committee.

Electoral system for general directors: no elections (appointment)

  • The general director is appointed by decree.

Source: Legislative Decree No. 3 of 2002 regarding the System of Electing Municipal Council Members (amended through 2018), article 26

  • Gender quotas: No
  • Additional quotas: No

  • Term length: 4 years
  • Last local elections: 2026
  • Next local elections: 2030

Department of Election and Referendum

National legal framework on local government

  • Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, 2002 (amended through 2018);
  • Legislative Decree No. 35 of 2001 promulgating the Municipalities Law (amended through 2022);
  • Implementing Regulation of the Municipalities Law promulgated by Legislative Decree No. 35 of 2001, promulgated by Decision No. 16 of 2002 (amended through 2020);
  • Legislative Decree No. 3 of 2002 regarding the System of Electing Municipal Council Members (amended through 2018).

There are constitutional provisions that establish local government in Bahrain. Municipalities and their financial autonomies are mentioned in Articles 108 and 114 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain of 2002 (amended through 2018).

The National Assembly is responsible for establishing the national legal framework on local government. The key piece of legislation which regulates local government is the Municipalities Law of 2001 (amended through 2022). According to Articles 2 and 3 of the Municipalities Law, “the municipality shall have a legal personality and shall enjoy financial and administrative independence. Municipalities shall administer the public facilities of a local nature within their competence in the manner prescribed in this law and its executive regulations.”

Sources:

1. UN Women: Data on share of women in local government as of 1 January 2025.

2. UN Women: Information on Head of State and Government as of 1 December 2025.

3. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Data on share of women in the single/lower chamber of parliament as of 1 January 2025.

4. UN Women: Data on share of women Cabinet ministers as of 1 January 2025.

5. Information on local government organization as of 1 January 2023.