17 Bahraini women set for electoral battle

The number of Bahraini women who announced their candidacy in the upcoming parliamentary elections has reached 17 and it is expected to rise in the next few weeks.

The polls are expected to be held in November this year and more women are expected to enter the electoral battle when compared to previous elections. This comes as female parliamentarians receive limitless support from several official and civil establishments, headed by the Supreme Council for Women.

 Initial announcements revealed that ex-parliamentarian Ebtissam Hejres, who represented the second constituency in the Capital in the 2010-2014 council of representatives is intending to repeat her parliamentary experience and run for this year’s elections.

Another ex-MP, Ruoa Al Hayki, has announced her plans to be the candidate in the upcoming elections, representing the seventh constituency in the Southern Governorate, after she represented the Northern Governorate’s sixth constituency in the parliament during the past four years.

This year’s parliamentary elections also witnesses incumbent female municipal council members, such as Sabah Al Dossary, who has been a well-known face in the seventh constituency of Muharraq Governorate, serving the area’s municipal needs between 2014-2018, trying their electoral luck.

However, the initial figures show that the highest number of women who announced their intention to run for the polls was in the Capital Governorate, with six women with professional backgrounds in different fields, confirming their plans to be part of the electoral race.