Yesterday (May 21) was the final session of Bahrain’s Shura Council before the summer recess. Members voted not to continue working through the chamber's agenda at around 2pm, despite it being their last meeting for around five months.

They also decided not to hold any extraordinary meetings this week to mop up pending issues and instead referred them for discussion when they resume work in October.

However, the chamber's committees will continue to hold meetings throughout the summer break.

This is the last week for the Shura Council and parliament, the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly, to meet before the summer.

Parliament will hold its last weekly meeting today, but could hold additional extraordinary sessions until Thursday if MPs agree.

Shura Council chairman Ali Saleh Al Saleh said the chamber had passed some key legislation over the past seven months.

"Many vital legislations have been approved, especially those giving people more powers and margins of freedom, besides enhancing their human rights," he said.

Before ending the session, the Shura Council withdrew a new money laundering and terrorism funding bill after a surprise visit from Central Bank of Bahrain Governor Rasheed Al Maraj.

He sought more time for revision, saying a new approach was required to meet international standards. – TradeArabia News Service