Bahrain's First High Criminal Court commuted a verdict against two defendants, accused of setting fire to a parliamentary candidate tent during 2018 elections in Damistan, from 5 to 1 year in prison and replaced their sentence by working in the service of community with their consent.

A Bahraini court sentenced Waheed Al-Dossari, head of the Bahrain Fishermen Society, and Hasan Al-Araibi to 5 and 3 years in jail after accusing them of receiving money from a former Qatari MP. Meanwhile, the two were acquitted of colluding with Qatar charge.

Parliamentary elections were held in Bahrain on November 24, 2018, the third since 2011 when mostly Shi'ite protesters took to the streets demanding democracy. The 2018 Executive Elections Committee said the total number of voters was over 365,000.

The Bahraini authorities arrested on Sunday (January 20, 2019) former MP Ali Al-Asheeri as he was checking with a police station.

Fawzia Zeinal, backed by the Royal Court and the Supreme Council for Women, won the post of Speaker of the Bahraini House of Representatives after winning the election over her rivals Adel Al-Assoumi and Issa Al-Kooheji, to become the first Bahraini woman to preside over the House.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Kahlifa reassigned on Sunday (December 2, 2018) to his uncle Khalifa bin Salman the task of forming the government.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued on Monday (December 3, 2018) a Royal Order 57/2018 amending some of the provisions of Royal Order 59/2014 defining the criteria of appointment of Shura Council members, effective from the date of its issuance, and to be published in the Official Gazette.

Former Al-Wefaq MP Ali Al-Aswad said that the attempts to overthrow Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa by Al-Khawalid wing last summer failed, despite some Gulf States’ desire to topple him.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Kahlifa issued on Sunday (December 2, 2018) a royal decree assiging to Khalifa bin Salman the formation of the government.

The deputy secretary general of Al-Wefaq Society, Sheikh Hussein Al-Daihi, commented on the second round of parliamentary and municipal elections, tweeting that “the second round of elections laid the foundation for ​​failure and weakness in the so-called elections ‘play’ in Bahrain.”

The Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, announced the final results of the second round held on December 1.

Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired an extraordinary session of the Cabinet at the Gudaibya Palace today (Sunday, December 2, 2018). The PM announced that the resignation of the government had been submitted to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The two top Western allies, Britain and America, announced their support for comprehensive reconciliation in Bahrain, yet they are working against what they claim to support when they encouraged the legislative elections that took place last weekend, disregarding the statements made by international organizations describing the election environment as “oppressive”.

The National Islamic Al-Wefaq Society called on the people of Bahrain to boycott the second round of elections due to the massive implications of the illegitimacy of what would be the outcome of this “play” as described by Al-Wefaq.

The ruling family in Bahrain has decided, mid-way into the election process, to remind Bahrainis of its intensified harsh campaign launched against human rights, telling them that there is no place for these rights.

Advocate General Ahmed Al-Hammadi said that the Public Prosecution concluded its investigations about two Bahrainis who received money from abroad without authorization from the competent authority, in breach of the law. The High Criminal Court set a hearing on December 3.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert welcomed what she called “successful first round of voting in Bahrain's parliamentary and municipal elections.”

Bahrain will hold a second round of voting for 31 of 40 seats in parliament next week, the government said on Sunday, in an election from which opposition groups have been barred.

On Saturday 24 November, as the Government of Bahrain held the elections for the Consultative Council, the spokesman for foreign affairs of Germany’s Green Party, Omid Nouripour, issued a statement condemning the elections as unfree and unfair.

British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt announced welcoming what he called “continuing progress and commitment to the democratic process in Bahrain”.