Bahrain Mirror: British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt said he supports banning some candidates from running for the upcoming legislative elections, reported a local newspaper.

The newspaper quoted the minister lauding the exclusion of those who do not meet the conditions of the candidates according to the laws on the one hand, and criticizing any attempt to disrupt or distort the electoral process on the other hand.

Burt further stated that his country and Bahrain are working on increasing trade between the two countries to half a billion pounds a year in addition to improving cooperation in the fields of defense, education and culture.

Bahrain has banned members of opposition societies from running for the elections after amendments made to the law, banning members of disenfranchised groups from becoming candidates in elections.

Arabic Version