Bahrain’s His Majesty King Hamad will open the new-look National Assembly today (December 14) at 3pm, marking the start of its four-year legislative term, a report said.

Forty elected MPs and another 40 appointed Shura Council members will be present for the ceremony at the Isa Cultural Centre, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

It will be followed by meetings of both chambers, during which elections will take place to fill senior posts. Ali Saleh Al Saleh will be sworn in as chairman of the Shura Council. Two deputy chairmen will also take their oath.

The MPs successfully contested elections last month, while Shura Council members are appointed by the King.

A government statement last night said the inauguration of the first session of the fourth legislative term “is an assertion that the democratic and development process in Bahrain will continue unabated to achieve set up goals and build on previous achievements brought about by the royal reform project which was launched in 2002.”

His Majesty will today address the nation on the occasion, the report said. – TradeArabia News Service