Parliament Membership Row Escalates
TDT | Manama
Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com
The number of MPs seeking to strip Abdulnabi Salman, Mahdi Al Shuwaikh and Mamdouh Al Saleh of their seats had risen to 36 by Sunday, as a request tied to remarks made during debate on Bahrain’s Judicial Authority Law gained wider backing in Parliament.
The request was initially signed by 10 MPs when submitted to the Speaker. The latest to join was Hanan Fardan, following Ahmed Qarata, Abdulwahid Qarata, Lulwa Al Rumaihi, Dr Ali Al Nuaimi and Eman Showaiter, who added their names during the day.
The move targets Abdulnabi Salman, Mamdouh Al Saleh and Dr Mahdi Al Shuwaikh over their stance during Parliament’s sitting on 28 May 2026, when MPs debated Decree-Law No. 13 of 2024 amending Article 7 of the Judicial Authority Law.
According to the explanatory note attached to the request, the three MPs took a position that the signatories said ran against the parliamentary oath and national duty by criticising state measures against those accused of praising Iranian attacks on Bahrain.
The note said those measures included withdrawing citizenship from those involved and from others whose nationality was revoked as dependants. It argued that the MPs’ remarks questioned the fairness of the state’s steps and formed the basis for their rejection of the decree-law.
The signatories said the stance amounted, in their view, to a breach of national unity, caused the three MPs to lose trust and standing, and breached the duties of membership and the honour of representing citizens.
The request is expected to be referred to Parliament’s Bureau before being placed on the Council’s agenda for a final decision under the Constitution and Parliament’s internal rules. The request cites Articles 78, 89(b) and 99 of the Constitution, covering the parliamentary oath, the limits of parliamentary immunity, and the dropping of membership, alongside Articles 191(f ) and 193 to 197 of Parliament’s internal rules, which govern the procedures for dropping membership.
Although the three MPs later published an apology, the signatories argued it did not cure what they described as an unjustified stance. They said the MPs should have resigned and that there was no ground for them to retain their seats following the remarks made at the sitting.
Showalter Quits Political Society
The matter took on a further political turn after The Daily Tribune learnt that MP Eman Showaiter had resigned from the political society, The Progressive Tribune.
Her resignation came as she joined the signatories seeking to drop the membership of the three MPs, two of whom, Abdulnabi Salman and Dr Mahdi Al Shuwaikh, belong to The Progressive Tribune. Mamdouh Al Saleh is the third MP named in the request.
Showaiter is also a member of the Taqadum parliamentary bloc, which includes First Deputy Speaker Abdulnabi Salman, Mamdouh Al Saleh and Showaiter. She was not present at the sitting in which the decree-law was debated, owing to health reasons.
The 36 signatories are: Mohammed Salman Al Ahmed, Hamad Al Doy, Jameel Mulla Hassan, Bader Al Tamimi, Mohammed Moosa Al Balooshi, Ali Saqr Al Dosari, Abdulla Al Rumaihi, Mohammed Al Olaiwi, Abdulla Al Dhaen, Mohammed Al Rifai, Waleed Al Dosari, Khalid Buanaq, Ahmed Al Salloom, Hisham Al Awadhi, Zainab AbdulAmeer, Mohammed Maarafi, Maryam Al Sayegh, Basema Mubarak, Maryam Al Dhaen, Mohammed Janahi, Jaleela Olaiwi, Hassan Eid Bukhamas, Abdulhakeem Al Sheno, Mahmood Al Fardan, Mohsen Al Asbool, Munir Seroor, Hassan Ebrahim, Jalal Kadhem, Najeeb Al Kuwari, Hisham Al Asheeri, Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, Lulwa Al Rumaihi, Eman Showaiter, Ahmed Qarata, Abdulwahid Qarata and Hanan Fardan.
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