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Bahrain Proclaimed A Kingdom
MANAMA, Feb. 14 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – In a major step in political and social reforms launched last year, the head of the Bahraini state the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa, proclaimed Thursday the Gulf archipelago a kingdom and himself king.
Following his declaration of the Gulf state of Bahrain a constitutional monarchy, the Emir called parliamentary elections on October 24, following a municipal vote on May 9. It will be the country's first elections for 27 years. Legislation has also been approved giving women the right to stand for public office for the first time.
The announcements come a year after people in Bahrain voted overwhelmingly in support of constitutional amendments put forward by Sheikh Hamad.
The amended constitution will "turn the country into the kingdom of Bahrain and establish full constitutional institutions in line with our pledge and the consensus expressed in the popular referendum" of 2001, the Emir said, AFP reported.
The elections would see "the resumption of democratic life as soon as possible with a view to promoting Bahrain's prosperity and progress," he added.
According to the BBC’s online news service, more than 98% of those who voted backed the proposals for a monarchy and an elected legislature. At a ceremony Thursday, Sheikh Hamad signed the constitutional amendments, making them law.
Bahrain's parliament was dissolved in 1975 for "obstructing the work of the government."
Its restoration was the main demand during sporadic troubles triggered by the mainly Shiite opposition from 1994 to 1999, the date of the accession to power of Sheikh Hamad on the death of his father. The troubles left at least 38 dead, according to official estimates, AFP reported.
The charter first unveiled in 2000 launched a process of democratic reform that has seen political groups legalized and dissidents pardoned. The Shiite community, which makes up a majority of the country's 650,000-strong population, of whom 37 percent are expatriates, has applauded the reforms.
Greater press freedom promised by authorities has resulted in a stream of requests for permission to launch new publications. Requests for seven new dailies and 10 magazines have already been made to the government.
Bahrain becomes the second kingdom, after Saudi Arabia, in the oil-rich Gulf region, where Oman is a sultanate and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partners are emirates, including the seven-member United Arab Emirates federation.
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