|Area:||694 sq km (268 sq mi)|
|Population||(2002 est.): 672,000|
|Chief of state:||King Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah|
|Head of government:||Prime Minister Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah|
On Feb. 14, 2002, Bahrain was officially transformed from an emirate into a kingdom as Emir Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah assumed the title of king. The new king immediately announced political reforms, calling for general elections for a municipal council and a new parliament and giving both men and women the right to vote. The government also approved a modification of its 1973 constitution; major articles of that constitution had been suspended in 1975. Under these modifications the new parliament was to be bicameral. A chamber, appointed by King Hamad, would have legislative powers on a par with the elected chamber, a matter that was criticized by the opposition.
Municipal elections were held on May 9, but voters failed to elect any of the women candidates. Parliamentary elections were held in October, the first since the body was dissolved 27 years earlier. The Bahraini government also allowed the establishment of “political associations” but not political parties. In response to long-standing popular demand, the government granted Bahraini nationality to more than 10,000 stateless persons, some of them Shiʿites of Persian origin.
On August 17 King Hamad made a historic two-day visit to Iran, where he met with top Iranian officials. The visit represented an improvement in relations between the two countries, which had been tense since the 1990s, when Bahrain had accused Iran of supporting the Shiʿite popular protest movement that sought reform of the Sunnite-led government.