The elections were considered to be a sham,[3][4] as they followed a government crackdown on dissent that included prohibiting members of dissolved opposition groups from running.

[5] Following the 2011 Bahraini protests, all 18 Al Wefaq members on the Council resigned,[6] and were barred from contesting the subsequent by-elections.

Since 2011, authorities have imprisoned hundreds of dissidents, including Al Wefaq leader Sheikh Ali Salman, and stripped many of Bahraini citizenship.

The two main opposition groups, the Shiite Al-Wefaq and secular Waad, were barred from fielding candidates in 2018, prompting renewed calls for a boycott.

A court banned Al Wefaq in 2016 for "harbouring terrorism", inciting violence and encouraging demonstrations which threatened to spark sectarian strife.