In 1972, the then ruler Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa issued a decree providing for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft and ratify a constitution.
Seeking to bring an end to the 1990s uprising in Bahrain, he announced a new set of democratic reforms, including a promise to return to constitutional rule.
In 2001 Emir Hamad put forward the National Action Charter which would return the country to constitutional rule.
The Charter stated that "the legislature will consist of two chambers, namely one that is constituted through free, direct elections whose mandate will be to enact laws, and a second one that would have people with experience and expertise who would give advice as necessary."
Emir Hamad responded by holding a highly publicised meeting with the spiritual leaders of the Shia Islamist opposition.
The National Assembly is bicameral with the lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, having 40 members elected in single-seat constituencies by universal suffrage for a four-year term.
Among the members of the current Shura Council are representatives of Bahrain's Jewish and Christian communities as well as several women legislators.
[3] Many of the high-ranking judges in Bahrain are either members of the ruling family or non-Bahrainis (mainly Egyptians) with 2-year renewable contracts.