Legislative Election in Bahrain (2018)

40 members of the Legislative Council of Representatives of Bahrain are elected in single-mandate constituencies. If none of the candidates gains the majority of the votes in the 1st round, the 2nd round is held ^[6] .

The elections were held in conditions of severe suppression of the opposition. Opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman was sentenced to life in prison on November 4, 2018. Sheikh Ali Salman was accused of “conspiring with a foreign state” by Qatar during the uprising in February 2011 with the aim of “overthrowing the constitutional order”. In 2017, during the Qatari diplomatic crisis, Bahrain cut off all diplomatic relations with Qatar. ^[7]

Bahrain dismissed large opposition groups, including the Al-Vefak movement, which resulted in several hundreds of opponents and dozens of religious leaders being imprisoned ^[7] .

Candidates could register from October 17 to October 21, 2018 ^[1] . 293 candidates claimed for 40 Council seats ^[8] .

In 9 constituencies, the winner was found in the 1st round, and in the remaining 31 constituencies a 2nd round was held ^[9] . According to official figures, the turnout in the 1st round was 67%. The opposition stated that the turnout was not more than 28-30% ^{[10] [11] [12]}