Bahrain said on Monday it would hold a parliamentary election on Nov. 24, the state news agency BNA reported, the second ballot since 2011 when mostly Shi’ite protesters took to the streets demanding more democracy. The 2018 elections come at a sensitive time for the Gulf state as the public finances have been hit hard by a slump in oil prices, with Bahrain’s dinar plunging to its lowest in more than decade.
Tensions with the Shi’ite Muslim opposition have shown no sign of abating with the United Nations and rights groups accusing the government of crushing dissent.
Last May, Bahrain’s parliament approved a bill barring members of dissolved opposition groups from running in elections, the latest step in the political crackdown.
Full Article: Bahrain to hold parliamentary elections on Nov. 24 – state news agency.
