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General elections were held in Bahrain on 12 November 2022 to elect the 40 members of the Council of Representatives, with a second round in some constituencies on 19 November.[1]
The elections were condemned domestically and internationally as a sham. Rights groups condemned the atmosphere of "political repression". The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, based in London, called it a "sham", and Amnesty International stated that the elections were "held in an environment of political repression following a decade in which the authorities have infringed upon human rights, curtailed civil society, banned political opposition parties and shuttered independent media".[2][3] They issued a report on the elections, "Bahrain: Elections, But No Civic Space" in which they stated that Bahrain's political system did not, in practice, allow citizens to peacefully and legally seek constitutional change.[4]
Domestically, there were advance calls for a boycott of the elections, as in 2018.[4] On election day hackers took down government websites, including the elections, parliamentary and state-news websites. A group calling itself "al-Touafan" ("the Flood") claimed responsibility for at least some of the attacks, saying they were "due to the persecution carried out by the Bahraini authorities, and in implementation of the popular will to boycott the sham elections".[5]
- ^ "Elections: Bahrain Parliament 2022". IFES Election Guide. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ Ghantous, Ghaida (12 November 2022). "Bahrain holds parliament polls; rights groups slam 'repressive' climate". Reuters.
- ^ "Bahrain: Upcoming elections held amidst political repression, rights violations". Amnesty International. 10 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Bahrain: Elections, But No Civic Space". Amnesty International.
- ^ "Bahrain votes in parliamentary elections". Al Jazeera.