Panel to study proposed amendments to Bahrain constitution
Bahrain’s lower chamber has postponed a debate on amendments to the constitution by one month.
The lawmakers agreed at a special session on Thursday dedicated to the discussion on amendments to refer them to a parliamentary legislative committee for further studies.
The amendments, proposed by King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa upon recommendations from participants in the National Dialogue held in July, offer the lower chamber more powers and precedence over the Shura Council, the upper chamber of the bicameral parliament.
The dialogue brought together some 300 people from civil society organisations, the parliament, the government, trade unions, rights groups and the media to look into ways to help heal a rift within the society and boost popular participation in the political process.
In the session on Thursday, 34 lawmakers endorsed the principles of the amendment project and two opposed them.
