Bahrain holds parliamentary election without opposition candidates

Rights groups say whatever the outcome of Bahrain’s election, no real change will follow despite record number of female candidates.

More than 330 candidates, including a record 73 women, are competing to join the 40-seat council of representatives – the lower house of parliament that advises King Hamad, who has ruled since his father died in March 1999.

This is up from the 293 people – including 41 women – who ran for parliament in the last election in 2018.

Queues formed outside some of the kingdom’s 55 polling stations before they opened at 8am (5am GMT).