Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the parliamentary elections in Bahrain

Press release 497/2006
November 29, 2006

The EU welcomes the parliamentary elections in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the first round of which was held on 25 November 2006.

The higher turnout compared to the previous elections held in 2002 shows that the Bahraini people have embraced the importance of the electoral process in developing a democratic state.

The EU is convinced that the elections have further consolidated the democratic process in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Acceding Country Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.