Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission - FAQ
(current)/En/FAQ

FAQs

What are the functions of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission?

The Commission is generally responsible for the tasks of expressing legal opinions and preparing and drafting legislation, and it undertakes the following:

1) Developing proposals to amend the Constitution and proposals for laws referred by the Shura Council and the House of Representatives to the government in the form of a draft amendment to the Constitution or a draft law.

2) Preparing and drafting draft laws referred to by the Council of Ministers or the relevant ministries, as well as decrees, regulations and executive decisions for laws.

3) Interpreting the texts of laws and decrees with the force of law, based on a request from the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Shura Council, or the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

4) Expressing an opinion on Legislation and other legal issues that the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the Speaker of the Shura Council deems necessary to refer to due to their importance.

5) Preparing and reviewing the formulas of international treaties and agreements concluded or joined by the State, to ensure that they do not violate the Constitution, do not conflict with the sovereignty of the State, and clarify the extent of their agreement with the laws, decrees and regulations in force, and expressing an opinion on the legal procedures necessary to conclude or join these international treaties and agreements.

6) Expressing a legal opinion on matters referred to it directly by the Council of Ministers, or by ministries, institutions and public bodies after the approval of the Council of Ministers, which relate to the implementation of laws, decrees, regulations and executive decisions in force.

7) Settling any dispute between ministries, institutions, public bodies or between these bodies and each other, after the approval of the Council of Ministers, as well as disputes between independent bodies regulated by law or between them and other ministries, institutions or public bodies. The decision issued in these cases shall be reasoned and binding on the parties if it is issued upon their request.

8) Expressing an opinion on contracts concluded by ministries, institutions, public bodies and entities subject to the Law Regulating Tenders, Auctions, Purchases and Government Sales, regarding any legal issues they raise.

9) None of the ministries, institutions, public bodies and entities referred to in the previous paragraph may conclude a contract whose value exceeds three hundred thousand dinars without reviewing it with the Commission.

10) Reviewing the contracts of incorporation of commercial companies and their articles of association that the law stipulates must be established by decree.

What are the departments in the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission and what is the jurisdiction of each department?

1) Legal Opinion and Research Department

The Legal Opinion and Research Department is primarily responsible for providing legal opinions and is divided into two sections:

First: Legal Opinion.

Second: Research.


2) Legislation and Official Gazette Department

The Legislation and Official Gazette Department is generally concerned with everything related to legislation of all kinds and its publication in the Official Gazette. It is divided into two sections:

First:Legislation.

Second: Official Gazette.


3) International Treaties, Agreements and Contracts Department

The International Treaties, Agreements and Contracts Department generally reviews international treaties, agreements and contracts. It is divided into two sections:

First: International Treaties and Agreements.

Second: Contracts.


4) Election and Referendum Department

The Election and Referendum Department was attached to the Commission pursuant to Decree No. (91) of 2007, to ensure that this process is managed by an independent body that takes into account the principles of integrity, neutrality and legal foundations in this regard. The Election and Referendum Department primarily develops strategies and work plans for the preparation, and technical and technological equipment for each official election or referendum in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Department’s tasks include preparing the necessary studies and research to develop the electoral process in Bahrain in a manner that keeps pace with global developments and modern electoral systems.

What is the mechanism for government agencies to contact the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission to request a legal opinion?

Legal opinions are given on matters referred to it directly by the Council of Ministers, or by ministries, institutions and public bodies after the approval of the Council of Ministers, which relate to the implementation of laws, decrees, regulations and executive decisions in force.

Can the legal principles extracted from the legal opinions issued by the Commission be viewed?

Yes, through the Commission's website www.lloc.gov.bh or through the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission's electronic application (Bahrain Legislation).

How can I view or obtain a copy of the Official Gazette?

The Official Gazette is published weekly every Thursday through the Commission's website www.lloc.gov.bh and you can also find it in the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission's electronic application (Bahrain Legislation).

How can I participate in the legal magazine and where can I view the published issues?

You can participate by sending your legal research to the Legal Magazine’s email: qanoniya@lloc.gov.bh. All published issues of the Legal Magazine are available to everyone and can be viewed by visiting the Commission’s website www.lloc.gov.bh in the Legal Library section – Legal Magazine branch, and also available on the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission’s electronic application (Bahrain Legislation).

What are the conditions for publication in the legal journal?

The following conditions must be met for acceptance of publication in the journal:

1) Commitment to scientific research methodology.

2) Writing in Arabic or English.

3) Commitment not to previously publish the submitted scientific material in any other periodical, and not to submit it for publication in another journal.

4) Commitment to the principles and general rules of scientific research.

5) The choice of the subject of the submitted scientific material must be of a practical nature, or present an idea or concept characterized by novelty and innovation.

6) The research submitted for publication must not be less than about ten thousand words, while for the legal article, commentary on rulings, etc., the number of words must not exceed about six thousand words.

7) Each researcher must send his CV along with the scientific material submitted for publication.

8) The opinions contained in the scientific material express the personal opinions of the researcher, within the framework of freedom of opinion guaranteed by the journal.

9) The journal does not embrace any political, religious or other ideologies reflected in the scientific material published in it, and the editorial board has the right to reject any scientific material that includes an explicit or implied reference to any religious belief or any political ideology or promotes any of them, and the editorial board also has the right to reject any scientific material that incites or encourages hatred, contempt or hostility towards any political, intellectual, religious or other group or sect, which is considered a departure from scientific norms and the objectives sought by the journal in publishing legal and judicial scientific research.

10) The submitter of the scientific material bears any civil, criminal or other liability, in accordance with the applicable legislation and its future amendments, resulting from submitting scientific material for publication in the journal, whether published or not, if it is proven to represent scientific theft or an infringement on any of the intellectual property rights of others.

11) Submit research and other materials by email to the email address you designate for this purpose; qanoniya@lloc.gov.bh.

12) The editorial board publishes the research after passing the rigorous scientific arbitration, according to its priority in the date of receipt by the journal.

13) Commitment to making any amendments suggested by the arbitrators and resubmitting the research after amending it according to the arbitrators’ report within the period specified by the journal’s editorial board.

How can I obtain the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission's publications?

All publications of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission can be obtained by visiting the Commission's website www.lloc.gov.bh where you can find them in the Legal Library section.

Does the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission have an electronic application?

Yes, it was recently issued (Bahrain Legislation) and all services provided through it are updated immediately.

Can individuals address the Commission?

No, the Commission is not responsible for responding to individuals' communications, as the law has defined its powers assigned to it under Article (2) of Law No. (60) of 2006 regarding the reorganization of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, and its amendments.

How can I register for the Legal Illuminations Program lectures?

Registration for the Legal Illuminations Program lectures is through the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission's website www.lloc.gov.bh

What services can the Commission provide to individuals?

The Commission provides awareness programs for individuals through the Legal Illuminations Program, through which the Commission works to spread legal culture by highlighting the most prominent developments in the legal arena, including new legislation and topics.
The Commission also publishes legal culture, and a number of legal principles extracted from legal opinions issued by the Commission periodically through its Instagram account so that everyone can benefit from them.

Can updated legislation be viewed?

Yes, all legislation can be viewed on the Commission's website www.lloc.gov.bh , or through the electronic application of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain Legislation), and work is being done to update it immediately.

Is there an English translation of the issued legislation?

Yes, the Commission has recently worked on translating several legislations into English, which will be published on the Commission's website www.lloc.gov.bh as well as the electronic application of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission (Bahrain Legislation).

How can I apply for practical training at the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission?

The application for practical training is submitted to the Commission through the official communication channels, which are represented by receiving an official letter approved by the university (governmental or private). If the application is accepted, you will be sent a response. A specific number of applications submitted for practical training are accepted in each semester, according to the capacity specified by the Commission for training students.