Bahrain urges foreign property owners to vote in upcoming elections

Bahrain is encouraging foreign property owners and any GCC nationals living in the kingdom to participate in upcoming municipality elections.

Gulf states rarely give non-citizens the right to vote but Bahrain’s Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission president Abdulla Hassan Al Buainain said property owners should have a say in who governs their local area, although the right to vote has not been extended to national parliamentary elections held on the same day.

“Expats who own property in Bahrain at the time of the election on November 22 have the right to vote,” Al Buainain told Gulf Daily News.

“They should vote because the municipal council provides services to both citizens and residents.



“It's important for expats to receive these services from their representative in the council, so they should vote who they want in place.”

However, it is not expected many expats will qualify to participate in the municipality elections after a decision to replace the Manama Municipal Council with the Capital Trustees, a body that will be appointed by the kingdom’s rulers and not by a vote.

Property owned by expats are mostly located in Manama's central areas of Amwaj, Riffa Views, Durrat Al Bahrain and Marina West, Al Buainain said. However, there were some that would qualify to vote in the Juffair and Seef areas.

“Those in the Capital Governorate have no role to play as there is no longer a municipal council,” Al Buainain said.


“However, those who are in the Capital Governorate still have their rights protected by the appointed council.

“They will still be able to put forward their complaints, just to the appointed council instead of an elected representative.”