Political parties are illegal in Bahrain but operate as de facto political parties under the term political societies. Political societies in Bahrain range from the communist left to the Islamist right.
Current
{| class="wikitable"
|+Pro-government parties
!colspan=2 | Party
!Abbr.
!Leader
!Political positions & ideologies
|-
|
|Al-Asalah Islamic Society<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية الأصالة الإسلامية</span>
|Asalah
|Ghanim Al-Buaneen
|
|-
|
|Al-Menber Islamic Society<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية المنبر الوطني الإسلامي</span>
| -
|Ali Ahmed Abdulla
|Islamism
|-
|
|National Justice Movement<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">حركة العدالة الوطنية</span>
| -
|Abdullah Hashem
|
|-
|
|Al Meethaq<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية ميثاق العمل الوطني</span>
| -
|Ahmad Juma
|Liberalism
|-
|
|Economists Bloc<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">كتلة الاقتصاديون</span>
| -
|Jassim Abdula'al
|Liberalism
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Opposition Parties
!colspan=2 | Party
!Abbr.
!Leader
!Political positions & ideologies
|-
|
|Al Wefaq National Islamic Society<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية</span><br/>
|Al-Wefaq
|Shaikh ali Salman
|Islamism
|-
|
|February 14 Youth Coalition<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">إئتلاف شباب ثورة 14 فبراير</span>
|The Coalition<br />الإئتلاف
|Anonymous activists
|
|-
|bgcolor=#9D0000|
|Haq Movement<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">حركة حق حركة الحريات والديمقراطية</span>
|HM
|Hasan Mushaima
|Constitutionalism
|-
|
|Al Wafa' Islamic Movement<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">تيار االوفاء الإسلامي</span>
|Al-Wafa<br/>الوفاء
|Abdulwahab Hussain
|Islamism
|-
|
|National Democratic Action Society<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية العمل الوطني الديمقراطي</span>
|
|Fouad Seyadi
|
|-
|bgcolor=#27903B|
|Islamic Action Society<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية العمل الإسلامي</span><br/>
|Amal<br />أمل
|Muħammad Ali al-Mahfuodh
|
|-
|bgcolor=#0F97D9|
|Bahrain Freedom Movement<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">حركة أحرار البحرين الإسلامية</span><br/>
|BFM
|Saeed al-Shehabi
|
|-
|
|Nationalist Democratic Assembly<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">التجمع القومي الديمقراطي</span><br/>
|NDA
|Hassan Ali
|Ba'athism
|-
|
|Progressive Democratic Tribune<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية المنبر الديمقراطي التقدمي</span>
|PDT
|Hassan Madan
|
|-
|
|Unitary National Democratic Assemblage<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية التجمع الوطني الديمقراطي الوحدوي</span>
| Al Wahdawi<br/>الوحدوي
| Hasan Al-Marzooq
| -
|-
|
|Al Ekha National Society<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية الإخاء الوطني</span>
| Al Ekha<br/>الإخاء
| Musa Ghuloom Al-Ansari
| -
|-
|
|Shabeeba Society of Bahrain<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جمعية الشبيبة البحرينية</span>
| -
| -
| Youth politics
|-
|
|National Liberation Front – Bahrain<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">جبهة التحرير الوطني—البحرين</span>
|NLF
| -
|
|-
|
|Al-Ashtar Brigades<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">سرايا الأشتر</span>
| -
| -
|Pro-Iran
|-
|
|Al-Mukhtar Brigades<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">سرايا المختار</span>
| -
| -
|Shia Islamism
|-
|
|Popular Front for the Liberation of Bahrain (until 2001)<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير البحرين</span>
|PFLB
|Abdulrahman Al-Nuaimi
|
|-
|
|Islamic Dawa Party – Bahrain<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">حزب الدعوة الاسلامية - البحرين</span>
| -
|Solaiman Al-Madani
|Islamism
|-
|
|Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain (until 2002)<br/><span lang="ar" dir="ltr">الجبهة الإسلامية لتحرير البحرين</span>
|IFLB
| -
|
|}
Banned parties
registered opposition:
- Al Wefaq
- National Democratic Action Society
- Islamic Action Society
The unlicensed opposition:
- Bahrain Freedom Movement
- Haq Movement
- Al Wafa' Islamic Movement
- February 14 Youth Coalition
- Al-Ashtar Brigades
- Al-Mukhtar Brigades
See also
- Politics of Bahrain
- Bahraini opposition
- List of ruling political parties by country