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General elections were held in Bahrain on 24 October 2002. They were the second general elections in the country's history, and the first since the dissolution of the National Assembly elected in 1973. The elections were also the first to be held under the 2002 Constitution, with voter turnout reported to be 53.2%.
Contents
Campaign
The elections were boycotted by Al Wefaq, the country's largest political party, as well as the National Democratic Action Society, the Nationalist Democratic Rally Society, and Islamic Action Society. They claimed that the 2002 Constitution gives too much power to the unelected legislators in the upper house, known as the Consultative Council of Bahrain, and demanded a reform of the constitution.
Results
Although all candidates ran as independents due to the ban on political parties, six political societies gained representation in the Council of Representatives. The Islamic Forum and al Asalah both won six seats, Rabita al-Islami won three seats, the Shura Society and the National Democratic Assembly both won two seats, whilst al Meethaq won one.