A recommendation to revoke the parliamentary memberships of three MPs has been unanimously approved by Parliament’s legislative and legal affairs committee, ahead of today’s extraordinary session, following a formal request submitted by 37 legislators.
The case concerns Parliament’s first deputy speaker Abdulnabi Salman, services committee chairman Mamdooh Al Saleh and committee member Dr Mahdi Al Shuwaikh, and stems from their position and vote during the session held on April 28.
According to the report, the request was submitted under Article 99 of the Constitution, which allows revocation of membership if an MP ‘loses confidence and respect or fails to fulfil the duties of membership’, as well as Articles 204-207 of Parliament’s internal regulations governing the process of expulsion.
Parliament’s general-secretariat verified that the formal conditions of the request were satisfied before referring it to the committee, which met on the same day.
Legal procedures were overseen in the presence of the head of the Legal Advisers Commission and the legal adviser for committee affairs, and the committee reviewed minutes of the April 28 session and oral statements and defences from each of the three MPs, who were officially notified and appeared before the committee.
Each MP was heard separately and allowed to present their defence before deliberations.
Thirty-seven out of 40 legislators who signed the request argued that the three MPs’ stances conflicted with the parliamentary oath and national duty.
The matter relates to the discussion of Decree-Law No 13 of 2024 amending Article 7 of the Judicial Authority Law. The three MPs voted against the decree and made statements critical of measures taken by the state in relation to individuals accused of glorifying Iranian attacks.
The request cited statements made in that session, as well as the political context following the recent Iranian aggression against Bahrain, and referenced the national address delivered by His Majesty King Hamad following the incident. The signatories said that the MPs’ position constituted a breach of trust, a loss of respect, and failure to uphold the honour of representing citizens.
Parliament’s legislative and legal affairs committee confirmed that it acted under Article 21 of the internal regulations, which assigns it the task of examining requests to revoke membership, and Article 205, which governs the procedures to be followed.
After reviewing all documents, hearing the MPs’ statements and examining their defences, the committee held an internal vote.
All eight members present voted unanimously in favour of recommending dismissal of the three MPs’ memberships.
Legislative and legal affairs committee chairman Mahmood Fardan said the committee verified that the request fulfilled all formal requirements, while examining the minutes of the session in question.
He added that the committee reviewed the prepared legal memorandum and heard directly from each of the three MPs while examining their defences before reaching any conclusion. Mr Fardan stressed that due process was fully respected.
“The committee’s decision was made after research, deliberation and legal review,” he added.
Under constitutional provisions, the final decision to revoke membership requires a two-thirds majority vote.
The committee’s report, attachments, legal memorandum and minutes of proceedings will form the basis of that debate.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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