Cabinet okays bill to toughen election law

Manama : The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft law proposed by the Shura Council to toughen the penalties imposed for harming the integrity of the municipal election process. 

The bill stipulates that a prison sentence “not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding BD2,000” shall be the penalty inflicted on offenders, instead of a jail term not exceeding three months and/or a maximum fine of BD200 in the current law.

The session, chaired by His Royal Highness, Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, also approved a draft law proposed by the Council of Representatives on amending the Cooperative Societies Law.

The amendment allows inviting members to attend assemblies by e-mail and electronic media of communication instead of the currently used receipt confirmation letters.

Two other proposals for activating Article 11 of the Civil Service Law and the traffic lights system were also approved by the session.

Letter from Kuwait Amir 

During the weekly Cabinet session held at Gudaibiya Palace, the Prime Minister informed the Cabinet about the written message addressed to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa by the Kuwaiti Amir, HH Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, on the latest Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab and international developments, as well as on issues of common interest.

The Prime Minister also notified the ministers about the letter received by HM King Hamad from the Algerian President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, pertaining to ways to bolster and strengthen bilateral relations in various fields.

Housing laws

The session discussed the regulatory requirements for additions to housing units by their owners in a way that would preserve the original architectural design, colour, height and fronts of the units. To this end, a draft law, as recommended by  the Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure, was approved after its legal aspects were studied thoroughly by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs.

The Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure was also tasked with meeting the needs of Sitra, Nabih Saleh, Duraz and Um Al-Hassam in the services provided by the government. The residents’ needs were outlined in a report submitted by the Labour and Social Development Minister on his field visits. 

Chronic diseases

Commenting on a presentation by the Health Minister on chronic diseases in Bahrain, HRH the Premier directed the ministry to coordinate with the Supreme Council for Health and research centres to prepare an in-depth analytical study on the reality of chronic diseases, notably cancer and kidney. The study should include the diseases’ symptoms and causes, recommendations on ways to avoid them, and the necessary preventive and treatment measures, the PM said.

Youth role hailed

HRH Premier lauded the Bahraini youth’s role, achievements and contributions to developing their society, marking the International Youth Day 2017, a post-session statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al Nasser, said.

The Council of Ministers also endorsed the Kingdom’s hosting of a regional workshop on education development policies, co-organised by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) and the Arab League Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ALECSO) as highlighted in the memorandum submitted by the Minister of Education.

Condolences 

The session extended deepest condolences and sympathy to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’ leadership, government and people on the martyrdom of four on-duty UAE soldiers, who lost their lives in Shabwa Governorate in Yemen when their helicopter was hit by a technical fault.

The session also offered deepest condolences and consolation to the Egyptian President, government and people over the victims of the train collision in Alexandria.