.jpg)
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.