The Political Empowerment Program started since the beginning of the 2002 elections’ preparations. It represented in a series of tours and field visits by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Supreme Council for Women in October 2002 to mosques and mourning places in the five governorates which resulted in an increase in women’s participation rate in the elections.

And, in preparation to take part in 2006 elections, the Council’s General Secretariat has created a comprehensive program for women’s political empowerment under the slogan “Together we build the country”. The program was implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program. It focused on providing all information needed regarding technical support and intensified practical training for every woman who expressed keenness to be part of the political life.

After these two experiences, the Political Empowerment Program has been established to support women’s participation in 2010 elections and was based on three main aspects that focused on awareness, partnership and quality training. The Program was a success and it was seen in the elections’ runoff in 2011 with the winning of four women in the elected chamber.

In preparation for 2014 elections, the Council continued to implement its Political Empowerment Program for Bahraini women. It is considered one of the continuous programs in its work plan with national expertise. It succeeded in achieving notable results with three women being elected for the Parliament and three others for Municipal Councils. This is in addition to the strong competition of women in all their constituencies and making it to the runoff. 

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