1st Southern
Former MP Adnan al-Maliki from Al-Asalah lost his seat in 2014, but had been seen as likely to make a comeback in 2018. Instead, Ahmed al-Amer clinched the 2018 race from Nasreen Maarouf in round two
Areas covered: Isa Town
Number of candidates: 10
Voter demographic
Moderate independent candidates have tended to perform well in this central area of Bahrain. However, the first round of the 2014 contest was distinguished by being a three-way battle between three prominent Sunni/loyalist political societies: Al-Asalah, Al-Minbar and the National Unity Gathering. The convincing win in 2014 for young, progressive candidate Khalid al-Shaer will have left the societies wishing they had made more effort to coordinate their campaigns and avoid splitting the vote. The 2018 elections was once again a mixture of Islamist figures and youthful or mainstream candidates.
2022 candidates
Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Saad al-Amer
Abdulrahman Abdullah Hassan Jassim
Abdullah Isa Mohammed Jabr Abdullah al-Dossary
Khalid Ibrahim Ali Khalid Hejris
Adnan Mohammed Hallal Ali Maliki
Farid Abdullah Ahmed Ali al-Shayib
Abdullah Khalifa Abdullah Musfir al-Rumaihi
Yusra Matar Khalifa al-Maloud
Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed al-Khal
Mohammed Abdullah Saleh Matar
Other information
Housing blocks: 718, 720, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 810
2014 registered voters: 7,998 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 71.3%
2018 second round results: Ahmed al-Amer (2871) vs Nasreen Maarouf (2173)
2018 first round result: Ahmed al-Amer (1313) vs. Nasreen Maarouf (1225). Vote tally for other candidates: Daeej al-Dhawadi – 902; Adnan al-Maliki – 700; Mohammed Matar – 173; Anwar Qambar – 57; Abdulrazzaq al-Sheikh – 38
1st Southern 2014 first round votes: Khalid al-Shaer – 1797 (33.1%); Adnan al-Maliki (MP Asalah) – 1198 (22.1%); Ahmed al-Amer – 984 (18.5%); Khalid al-Qattan (Minbar) – 775 (14.3%); Jehan Mohammed (NUG) – 300 (5.5%); Jaffar al-Kharaz – 140; Abdulrahman Abdullah – 85; Salman al-Shaikh (MP) – 69; Anwar Qambar – 43; Abdulghani al-Haiki – 31. 2014 second round vote: Khalid al-Shaer – 3281 (67.8%); Adnan al-Maliki (MP Asalah) – 1559 (32.2%)
2nd Southern
Former MP Isa al-Qadhi in 2014 lost to Mohammed al-Ahmed. The situation reversed itself in 2018, with Qadhi winning nearly twice as many first and second round votes.
Areas covered: Isa Town, Zayed Town
Number of candidates: 6
Voter demographic
The working-class conurbations of Isa Town and Zayed Town were part of the now non-existent Central Governorate. These areas have historically been the most favourable for liberal, technocratic, female and broadly-speaking progressive candidates.
In these somewhat more-diverse areas political societies – loyalist or opposition – have often struggled to make headway. Consequently, in 2018 for the second year running, all candidates stood as independents.
2022 candidates
Ibrahim Mohammed Ibrahim Buhazza
Hamad Khalaf Hamad Ibrahim Abdullah Burshaid
Ahmed Saleh Mohammed Hassan
Osama Jassim Ahmed Jassim Ahmed
Mohammed Abdullah Abdulrahman Abdullah al-Tamimi
Maryam Saleh Faris Abdullah al-Dhaen
Other information
Housing blocks: 809, 812, 813, 814, 840, 841
2014 registered voters: 8,212 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 70.5%
2018 second round results: Isa al-Qadhi (former MP – 3312) vs Mohammed al-Ahmed (incumbent MP – 1826)
2018 first round result: Isa al-Qadhi (2170) vs Mohammed al-Ahmed (1148). Vote tally for other candidates: Mohammed al-Zayani – 471; Mohammed al-Rashid – 464; Hassan al-Dossary – 223
2nd Southern 2014 first round votes: Mohammed al-Ahmed – 1519 (27.4%); Isa al-Qadhi (MP) – 1169 (21.1%); Faydh al-Sharqawi – 1012 (18.3%); Yaqoub Nassim – 983 (17.8%); Abdulaziz Matar – 317 (5.7%); Mohammed al-Dhawadi – 274; Ahmed Matar – 173; Ahmed al-Murbati – 90. Second round vote:Mohammed al-Ahmed – 3163 (66.3%); Isa al-Qadhi (MP) – 1608 (33.7%)
3rd Southern
After longstanding Asalah MP Abdulhalim Murad stepped down prior to the 2018 elections, his replacement from the same Salafist society won the seat outright; Ahmed al-Ansari, head of the Southern Governorate Municipal Council.
Areas covered: North Riffa, Hajiyat
Number of candidates: 9
Voter demographic
This constituency is in the central loyalist heartland of Al-Riffa. An older generation of voters are expected to support establishment figures who espouse unwavering support for the Monarchy and Islamic values.
However, the 84% turnout in 2014 indicated the success of the candidates in engaging all the local demographics, including encouraging younger voters to come out in large numbers.
2022 candidates
Adel Ali Mohammed al-Yahya
Mohammed Nasser Yousef Qambar
Abdullah Khalil Yousef Ibrahim Bu Ghammar
Mohammed Mohammed Adullah Hussein al-Rifai
Khaled Yousef Musa Shaheen
Muna Isa Mohammed Juma al-Doy
Suha Abdulrahman Khalifa al-Fayez
Ahmed Yousef Abdulqader Mohammed al-Ansari
Abdulaziz Qassim Abdulwahed Qassim
Other information
Housing blocks: 922, 933, 934, 935, 937, 941
2014 registered voters: 7,227 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 84.3%.
2018 winner Ahmed al-Ansari (Asalah society, head of Southern Governorate Municipal Council – 2811). Vote tally for other candidates: Adel al-Yahya – 1300; Dr. Mohammed al-Housani – 925
3rd Northern 2014 first round votes:Abdulhalim Murad (MP Asalah) – 2,964 (63.4%); Mohammed al-Housani – 841 (14.4%); Naji al-Dossary – 630 (10.7%); Hassan al-Ali – 331 (5.7%); Abdullah al-Hajji – 303; Mohammed al-Maloud – 40. 2014 contest decided by outright win in the first round of voting.
4th Southern
In 2018, former MP Ali Zayid, representing Salafist society Al-Asalah, came in comfortably ahead of incumbent MP Mohammed al-Maarifi in both round one and round two
Areas covered: Nuwaidrat, Sanad, Hajiat
Number of candidates: 8
Voter demographic
This is a mixed – opposition/loyalist Sunni/Shia – constituency and a product of the boundary changes and the abolition of the Central Governorate. Nuwaidrat and Sanad are traditionally Shia, but many of the other areas are Sunni or mixed. A 2014 turnout of 80% was very impressive.
2022 candidates
Najah Mohammed Salim Saeed Abdullah
Ahmed Abdullah Albi Mohammed
Fahad Saad Saleh al-Dossary
Ali Ahmed Ali Zayed
Yousef Ibrahim Yousef Mohammed al-Sabbagh
Mohammed Yousef Mohammed al-Maarifi
Abdulrahman al-Sayed Ahmed Mohammed Abduljalil
Fidha Khalaf Kattaf al-Khalaf
Other information
Housing blocks: 643, 645, 646, 929, 931, 939
2014 registered voters: 8,589 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 79.3%
2018 second round results: Ali Ahmed Zayed (Asalah society, former MP – 4312) Vs Mohammed al-Maarifi (incumbent MP – 3387)
2018 first round result: Ali Ahmed Zayid (1164) Vs Mohammed al-Maarifi (986). Vote tally for other candidates: Anas Bumtaia – 816; Ahmed al-Albi – 800; Salah al-Rawahi – 567; Dr. Rashid Al Bin-Ali – 458; Salman al-Salman – 211; Ahmad al-Nuaimi – 136; Faisal al-Bufalah – 123; Hassan al-Balooshi; Abdullah al-Rawayi; Mitham al-Rubayi
4th Southern 2014 First round votes: Mohammed al-Maarifi – 2656 (41.0%); Abdulhamid al-Shaikh – 1824 (28.2); Ibrahim al-Mannai – 772 (11.9%); Nabil al-Musaifar – 515 (8.0%); Abdulrahman Abdulkarim – 385; Ashraf al-Assar – 216; Faisal al-Bufalah – 110. Second round vote: Mohammed al-Maarifi – 2938 (50.8%), Abdulhamid al-Shaikh – 2847 (49.2%)
5th Southern
Popular local women’s activist Fawzia Zainal in 2018 finally succeeded in winning convincingly, in her third attempt to gain a parliamentary seat. Fawzia Zainal became the first woman parliament speaker in 2018 and is not running for the 2022 elections.
Areas covered: West Riffa, Haniniyah, Bukuwarah
Number of candidates: 5
Voter demographic
This is a fiercely loyalist district in the ruling family’s heartland of Riffa. However, even here, voter participation cannot be taken for granted and candidates have had to reach out to younger voters, the professional classes and more disenfranchised sections of the electorate.
Boundary changes rewrote the rulebook in these areas, forcing candidates to work harder to win over a broader demographic of supporters. The remarkable 2014 first round turnout of over 85% indicated how successful candidates were in mobilizing support and encouraging political engagement.
2022 candidates
Khalifa Abdullah Mohammed al-Ghanem
Abdullatif Mohammed Salman Mohammed al-Majeeran
Salman Khaled Mohammed Saleh al-Sabt al-Subaie
Layla Hassan Mohammed Ahmed
Mohammed Musa Ali Mohammed
Other information
Housing blocks: 901, 903, 905, 910, 925, 927
2014 Registered voters: 8,788 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 85.4%
2018 winner Fawzia Zainal (3058). Vote tally for other candidates: Khalifa al-Ghanim – 1719; Mohammed Mousa– 335; Khalifa al-Yami – 316; Essam al-Khayyat – 151
5th Southern 2014 first round votes: Khalifa al-Ghanim – 2196 (30.3%); Fawzia Zainal – 2095 (28.9%); Abdulrazzaq al-Hattab (Asalah) – 1774 (24.4%); Adel al-Rowaei – 725 (10.0%); Nayef al-Jassim – 431 (5.9%); Mohammed Qarratah – 37. 2014 second round vote: Khalifa al-Ghanim – 3505 (52.1%); Fawzia Zainal – 3217 (47.86%)
6th Southern
In 2018, Salafist candidate Abdulrazzaq Hattab narrowly failed to win outright in the first round, coming more than 1,000 votes ahead of Mithaq’s Mohammed Darwish. Voting followed similar patterns in round two
Areas covered: Northern Riffa, Bukuwarah
Number of candidates: 7
Voter demographic
One of the big stories of the 2014 elections was the announcement from Khalifa al-Dhahrani, the head of the previous Parliament, that he wouldn’t be standing. Al-Dhahrani had been one of Bahrain’s most-long serving and highly respected MPs and if he had decided to participate his electoral success was considered a certainty. Al-Dhahrani’s non-appearance opened up the field for a broad group of untested candidates, with Salafist cleric Anas Buhindi eventually winning the seat. This is a safe loyalist seat in an area which has tended to prefer independent candidates.
2022 candidates
Najib Hamad Juma al-Kowari
Anas Ali Ali Saif Buhindi
Nadia Abdulrahman Qambar Mohamed al-Amar
Ayman Adel Khalil Ibrahim al-Yasi
Yaqoub Salim Atiq Salim
Nawal Ahmed Saqr Ahmed al-Dossary
Saleh Abdullah Mohammed Ahmed Buzayid al-Dossary
Other information
Housing blocks: 913, 914, 915, 916, 917, 918, 919, 921, 923
2014 registered voters: 8,262 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 84.0%
2018 second round results: Abdulrazzaq al-Hattab (Asalah society – 3711) vs. Mohammed Darwish (Mithaq society – 2598)
2018 first round results: Abdulrazzaq al-Hattab (Asalah society – 2218) vs. Mohammed Darwish (Mithaq society – 1081). Vote tally for other candidates: Dr. Mohammed al-Kuwaiti – 815; Nadia al-Amr – 422; Ibrahim al-Mannai – 369; Waleed Abdulsattar – 210; Jamal Buhassan – 164; Hamad al-Harbi – 105; Nadhim Hashim – 77
6th Southern 2014 first round votes: Anas Buhindi – 2310 (34.7%); Mohammed al-Buainain (Mithaq) – 1040 (15.6%); Ibrahim Fakhro – 943 (14.2%); Nawal al-Dossary – 658 (9.9%); Salah Khalifa – 613 (9.2%); Yousif al-Hamdan – 475; Khalifa al-Dossary – 310; Layla Rajab (Al-Watani al-Hurr) – 179; Abdullah Baqer – 136. Second round vote: Anas Buhindi – 3676 (62.8%); Mohammed al-Buainain (Mithaq) – 2178 (37.2%)
7th Southern
Three women candidates in 7th Southern succeeded in splitting the 2018 vote and performing disappointingly, with MP Rua al-Haiki only gaining 52 votes. Two new figures, Ali al-Noaimi and Ahmed al-Tamimi, made it through to round two, with Noaimi coming out on top.
Areas covered: Nuwaidrat, West Riffa, Rawdhah
Number of candidates: 4
Voter demographic
The 7th Southern district is one of the more diverse areas in southern Bahrain. It is relatively a new constituency, given the extent of the border changes, which encompass Sunni Riffa and Shia Nuwaidrat. A significant proportion of people from this area work for the army.
This area is known for its tribal ties and so three of the original four 2014 candidates hailed from the Sunni Dossary and Al Marra tribal families.
2022 candidates
Mishal Nasser Hamad al-Dhawadi
Ali Majid Ali Hassan al-Majid al-Noaimi
Ahmed Salim Mohammed Salim al-Tamimi
Saleh Rashid Saleh Amer al-Abidan
Other information
Housing blocks: 746, 748, 902, 904, 906, 908, 912, 920, 924, 926, 928, 930, 932
2014 registered voters: 8,304
2018 second round results: Ali al-Noaimi (3267) vs. Ahmed al-Tamimi (2919)
2018 first round result: Ali al-Noaimi (1106) vs. Ahmed al-Tamimi (571). Vote tally for other candidates: Khalifa al-Gaoud – 568; Mohammed al-Ghatam – 321; Aliya al-Junaid – 231; Latifa al-Gaoud – 140; Sami Khamis – 65; Rua al-Haiki – 52
7th Southern 2014 first round votes: Abdullah Bin-Huwail (MP) – 2938 (45.4%); Ahmed al-Dossary – 2775 (42.8%); Anwar al-Mohammed – 765 (11.8%). 2014 second round vote:Abdullah Bin-Huwail (MP) – 3540 (59.3%); Ahmed al-Dossary – 2432 (40.7%)
8th Southern
Mohammed al-Sisi came second place in 2014, but still outperformed prominent former MP Jassim al-Saeedi in that contest. In 2018 al-Sisi came out a long way ahead of all other contestants.
Areas covered: Southern Sitra, Ma’amir, East Riffa, Awali, Mazrowiyah, Askar, Jaw, Dawr
Number of candidates: 3
Voter demographic
Where as many of the Southern constituencies are relatively small and clustered around the Sunni loyalist heartland of Riffa; the 8th, 9th and 10th Southern constituencies in Bahrain’s far south have very different electoral dynamics. These three constituencies between them occupy around 2/3 of Bahrain’s total land mass, being very large and very sparsely occupied. These constituencies thus tend to be very rural, tribal and traditional. Often, relatively little is heard about these contests in the local media and tend to be more about personalities than issues.
Regarding 8th Southern, the constituency border changes produced this rather oddly located constituency, ranging from the opposition home turf of Sitra to the loyalist hearth of Riffa. The 8th Southern district lies to the south of Bahrain along the eastern coast, in an area with a relatively low population density. Despite its relatively large size, this is the constituency with the fourth lowest number of voters. The 2014 expansion of this district has brought in a few Shia-majority areas, particularly to the northeast in Sitra, which may have helped encourage a more diverse range of representatives.
2022 candidates
Maryam Yousef Ali Abbas
Bader Saleh Abdulaziz al-Dareeb al-Tamimi
Abdulrahman Jassim Mohammed Ghanim al-Ghanim
Other information
Housing blocks: 613, 614, 615, 616, 635, 636, 907, 909, 911, 942, 943, 945, 946, 948, 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 957, 958, 959, 960, 965, 981, 982, 983, 985
Registered voters: 6,451 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 82.1%
2018 first round result: Winner Mohammed al-Sisi (1976). Vote tally for other candidates: Mohammed Ibbad al-Awdhani – 1002; Waleed, al-Dhawadi – 149; Abdullah al-Tamimi – 146; Jassim al-Rumaihi – 70
8th Southern 2014 first round votes: Dhiyab al-Noaimi – 1901 (36.7%); Mohammed al-Sisi – 1082 (20.9%); Jassim al-Saeedi (MP) – 989 (19.1%); Mohammed al-Awdhani – 748 (14.5%); Abdullah al-Azami – 311; Noura Bushehri – 96; Ali al-Rumaihi – 51. 2014 second round vote:Dhiyab al-Noaimi – 2787 (57.7%); Mohammed al-Sisi – 2047 (42.4%)
9th Southern
Nawar al-Mutawa and municipal councillor Bader al-Dossary were just a few votes apart after the 2018 first round. However, by the second round Dossary had built up increased momentum against his rival.
Areas covered: Southwest coast; Sakhir
Number of candidates:
Voter demographic
The 9th Southern district is one of the three sparsely populated but geographically large southern constituencies that are dominated by conservative and loyalist candidates. Independent candidates have always performed strongly in the constituencies of the Southern Governorate. Tribal and familial ties are everything in these traditionally-minded locations, hence the prevalence of certain family names among the candidates: Yet again in 2018 there were two contesting from the Dossary tribe, with two other Dossarys contesting in the next-door 10th Southern constituency. However, figures like MP Mohsin al-Bakri (standing down in 2018), who have come from a municipal council role with a record of local public service, often tend to perform well.
2022 candidates
Mohammed Yousef Mohammed Huzza al-Kaabi
Naji Yousef Hamad Yousef al-Kawari
Nasser Ayad Assaf al-Dakhil
Ali Saqr Hassan Hassan al-Dossary
Bader Saud Jabr Abdullah al-Dossary
Other information
Housing blocks: 944, 947, 976, 986, 1048, 1051, 1052, 1054, 1055, 1056, 1057, 1058, 1061, 1062, 1063, 1064, 1067, 1068, 1069, 1070, 1099
2014 registered voters: 5,090 2014 percentage 1st round voter turnout: 77.7%
2018 second round results: Nawar al-Mutawa (1717) vs. Bader al-Dossary (municipal councillor – 2288)
2018 first round results: Nawar al-Mutawa (988) vs. Bader al-Dossary (983). Vote tally for other candidates: Yousif al-Dossary – 336; Nassir al-Zaabi – 103; Saad al-Taneeb
9th Southern 2014 first round votes: Mohsin al-Bakri – 1784 (46.6%); Mohammed al-Dossary – 785 (20.5%); Mohammed al-Quwwati (NUG) – 599 (15.6%); Mutib al-Dhawadi – 358 (9.3%); Yousif al-Dossary – 306. 2014 second round vote:Mohsin al-Bakri – 2144 (60.3%); Mohammed al-Dossary – 1409 (39.7%)
10th Southern
Once again in 2018, 10th Southern proved to be one of the least competitive contests in Bahrain; with two candidates only. Isa al-Dossary won the first round with 539 votes. However, the 2022 contest has ten candidates, promising a somewhat different electoral dynamic
Areas covered: Southern Bahrain, Dawr & Hawar islands
Number of candidates: 10
Voter demographic
The 10th Southern district encompasses a large area of Bahrain’s southern landmass, but is sparse on population. With 2,368 registered voters, this is the constituency with by far the smallest number of voters in Bahrain (next smallest 9th Southern with 5,090 voters). However, prior to the electoral reforms this region only had around 1,175 registered voters.
10th Southern includes the Hawar Islands whose ownership was previously contested with Qatar, which in themselves have a landmass larger than most of Bahrain’s other constituencies.
The low 2014 turnout compared to other Southern constituencies where participation of over 80% has been the norm, can perhaps be put down to the scattered nature of local populations, and the lack of serious competition for formerMP Ahmed al-Mulla.
An additional factor is that with Latifa al-Gaoud winning uncontested in both 2006 and 2010, there is no strong tradition of democratic participation in this rural and tribal area. In contrast to other areas of Bahrain, the contest here tends to receive relatively little media coverage, allowing little sense of what local people think of their candidates or the issues they want to see addressed in the coming Parliament.
2022 candidates
Ahmed Rashid Lahaj Rashid al-Romaithi al-Falasi
Isa Yousef Abdullah Ahmed al-Dossary
Fahad Mirdas Faris Fahad Mirdas al-Dossary
Mohammed Jassim Mutlaq Juma Mohammed al-Dhawadi
Abdullah Saad Abdullah Saad Hassan Abdullah
Khaled Khalifa Ali al-Binghadir al-Dossary
Nawaf Khalid Yaqoub Abdullah Kamal
Lulwa Ali Hamad Majid al-Rumaihi
Mohammed Ibrahim Ali Mihna al-Sisi al-Buainain
Abdullah Majid Fahd al-Rumaihi
Other information
Blocks: 961, 967, 971, 973, 987, 988, 989, 995, 997, 998, 999, 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1106, 1107, 1108, 1110, 1111, 1112, 1113
2014 registered voters: 2,368 2014 percentage voter turnout: 45.3%;
2018 winner: Isa al-Dossary (539). Vote tally for other candidates: Khalid al-Dossary -12
10th Southern 2014 first round votes: Ahmed al-Mulla – 834 (80.27%); Khalid al-Dossary – 205 (19.7%). 2014 contest decided by outright win in the first round of voting.