HM King chairs Cabinet session

Manama, Sept. 10 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa chaired the Cabinet session, attended by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, at the Al-Sakhir Palace today. HM King keen on developing democratic process HM King Hamad stressed keenness to continue developing the political and democratic life in Bahrain, highlighting the importance of the next phase of national work, in which the kingdom will hold elections to elect the members of the Council of Representatives for the Fifth Legislative Term. The upcoming parliamentary elections will provide an opportunity for Bahrain to write a new chapter in its democratic process whose cornerstone were laid down by the National Action Charter and spearheaded by HM the King’s Reform Project, a post-session statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, said. HM King Hamad renewed unwavering resolve to safeguard the national democratic gains, and to increase them through building on the achievements that had been attained under the constitutional establishments. King expresses pride in parliamentary achievements  HM the King expressed deep pride in the contributions of the Legislative Branch to the kingdom’s comprehensive development march, noting that 16 years of parliamentary work constitute a major national gain and an important asset in improving the democratic practices and consolidating popular participation. The King also reiterated strong resolve to carry on the continuous Reform Project. Elections to be free, fair, transparent  HM King Hamad gave directives to the government to provide all success requirements for the elections, calling for concerted efforts by all government departments to ensure free, fair and transparent parliamentary elections. King satisfied with citizens’ enthusiasm to participate in elections  HM the King praised the citizens’ responsible patriotic awareness through massive participation in the forthcoming elections to select the most competent candidates who are capable of serving them and representing them at the Council of Representatives, urging to place the national interests above everything else. HM King Hamad expressed satisfaction with the citizens’ enthusiasm to take part in the electoral process, thus reflecting their high confidence in the constitutional and official institutions, and satisfaction with the gains attained under parliamentary work. King: Turn challenges into opportunities HM the King stressed the need to continue the comprehensive development march in the kingdom through joining ranks to turn challenges into opportunities whose results would benefit the nation and the citizens. The optimal use of the national resources requires enhancing the efficiency of government spending, reducing the operational expenses and increasing non-oil revenues to keep pace with the kingdom’s continuous positive economic growth, the King said, giving instructions to put forward executive programmes aimed at ensuring the continuity of the development process, increasing investments, consolidating investment opportunities and streamlining government procedures in order to create quality opportunities for the citizens. Premier lauds democratic gains HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa lauded the political and democratic progress achieved in the kingdom under HM King Hamad’s leadership, affirming that the government will mobilise all its ministries and departments to put in place all facilities that would ensure the smooth flow of the electoral process and easy procedures for the voters within an atmosphere of transparency and fairness.  HRH Premier hailed the democratic gains attained by kingdom during HM the King’s prosperous era. Premier: Executive-Legislative to continue The Prime Minister lauded the "constructive and fruitful" cooperation between the government and the Legislative Branch during all the previous legislative terms, emphasising that the cooperation will always remain a distinctive feature of the Executive-Legislative relationship in order to achieve the goals of HM King Hamad’s Project for the nation building and development. Government to ensure fiscal sustainability  HRH Premier underlined the government’s keenness on the need to ensure fiscal sustainability and create suitable economic conditions that would enable the kingdom to be more inclusive and well-prepared for the future with transparency and appropriate regulations through reducing operational expenses and spending in the government apparatus and increasing revenues. HRH Premier values national press role in elections HRH the Prime Minister affirmed the role of the national press as an essential partner in safeguarding the kingdom’s democratic gains and enhancing the electoral awareness among the citizens, thus embodying its widely recognised historical role during all phases of national work. HRH Premier valued highly the great interest of the national press in covering the elections, which, he said, reflects the press freedoms prevailing in Bahrain and the high professionalism of the media staff.