Experts and researchers affirmed that the Bahraini woman is the first historically to exercise her electoral right in the Gulf and Arab region, noting that the electoral awareness has matured in the Kingdom of Bahrain due to the accumulation of experience and its development.
The Roundtable discussed "Transformations of the Electoral Experience in Bahrain", which was organized by Isa Cultural Centre (ICC), and moderated by Dr. Ali Al-Siddiqi, legal expert, emphasized that "electoral systems have developed and transferred their experience to neighboring countries," noting that "the electoral experience has its roots in the history of Bahrain.
The session contained a welcoming speech by H.E. Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Executive Director of ICC, and brief presentation by Director of Cultural and Scientific affairs Directorate, Mohamed Yusuf Alnaar; alongside number of academics and experts in history and legal affairs including the professor of modern history from the State of Kuwait, Dr. Ayed Al-Jurid; researcher and historian Rashid Al-Jassim; senior researcher at ICC’s Historical Documents Center, Yousef Aqeel; Bahraini anthropologist residing in Germany, Dr. Muhammad Al-Zakari; The researcher and legal advisor, Dr. Munira Al-Fadhil; Professor and the Head of Public Law Department at the University of Bahrain, Dr. Marwan Al-Mudarres; Professor of Public Law at the University of Applied Sciences, Dr. Muhammad Abdul Salam; head of Monitor Society for Human Rights, Mohsen Al-Ghuriri; legal researcher, Dr. Sheikha Al-Ulaiwi; and researchers Abdullah Al-Qattan and Hamad Abdulla.
The participants discussed matters of the Historical backgrounds of the electoral systems in Bahrain; the role of women participation in the elections; the electoral laws and referential system; and finally the electoral awareness and society maturity. The reform project and constitutional issues were raised as well.
Experts and researchers reviewed topics related to the "electoral quota system for women", as Dr. Munira Al-Fadhel said that it is a positive discrimination, but Bahrain does not need it meantime. The legalization of electoral advertisings, especially with regard to social media channels. The participants also discussed the qualification criteria for candidates and dependency of society awareness, in addition to setting a ceiling for funding advertising campaigns. The experts also reviewed the reflection of the electoral experience historically to Kuwait.