on the system of election of members of municipal councils, as amended, sets forth the conditions for
electing members of municipal councils, the situations in which this right is denied, the provisions
related to the voters lists, electoral domiciles, and election mechanism. Furthermore, the DecreeLaw determines the penalties for violating its provisions and specifies the voting age to be 20 years.
5.
To complement such legislative system to exercise the right to vote and the right to stand for
elections, supplementary legislation to regulate the exercise of this right have been issued. For
instance, Decree No. (71) of 2014 on the identification of electoral regions, constituencies, boundaries,
and sub-committees for the election of the House of Representatives; Resolution No. (35) of 2014
on the determination of municipal electoral regions, constituencies and their boundaries, and the
number of sub-committees for the election of municipal councils; Decree-Law No. (14) of 1973 on
organizing propaganda; and Decision No. (77) of 2006 on organizing the election campaign for
elections of the House of Representatives and municipal councils, which addresses the issues and
procedures relevant to electoral propaganda and penalties for violating such.
6.
From the international perspective, the right to vote and to stand for elections is established in
international human rights instruments, specifically the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, to which the Kingdom of Bahrain has acceded under Law No. (56) of 2006. Article
No. (25), thereof, stated that every citizen, without any discrimination, has the right to participate in
the management of public affairs either directly or through elected representatives, or to elect and
be elected in fair elections held periodically by universal suffrage and secret ballot, guaranteeing
the free expression of the will of the electors.
7.
The international instruments related to the right to stand for election and to vote affirm that the
exercise of this right shall not be based on any discrimination among citizens, whether because of
gender, race, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, wealth, descent,
or other reasons. The right of citizens to exercise their political rights, whether through voting or
standing for elections, shall be conducted fairly and freely on a periodic basis, over reasonable time
periods, within a framework of laws guaranteeing the effective exercise of these rights. Voters shall
have the freedom to cast their votes for their chosen candidates, and the freedom to express their
opinions independently, without being subjected to violence, threat of using violence, coercion,
enticement, or any attempts to interfere with or manipulate such independence in any way.
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