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10/16/24, 11:09 AM Qatar Referendum To Vote On Scrapping Legislative Council Elections | Barron's

Qatar Referendum To Vote On Scrapping

Legislative Council Elections

By AFP - Agence France Presse October 15, 2024
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Qataris will vote in a referendum on constitutional changes which include scrapping
elections for members of the Gulf emirate's legislative council, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad Al-Thani said Tuesday.

In 2021, Qatar held elections for 30 of the 45 seats in the Shura Council, a body with
limited powers, marking a rare step towards democracy in the Gulf state. The emir had
previously appointed all members.

Speaking to the council, the Qatari ruler said he had called for the elections "despite
the reservations of many loyal citizens who saw there was valid logic in not
implementing these provisions".

Explaining that the measures had been viewed as "an experiment", Sheikh Tamim
said authorities "drew conclusions that led us to propose the constitutional
amendments".

"The Shura Council is not a representative parliament in a democratic system and its
status and authority will not be affected whether its members are elected or appointed.

"The constitutional amendments will be put to a popular referendum and I call on all
citizens, both male and female, to participate in it," Sheikh Tamim added without
setting a date for the proposed vote.

Gas-rich Qatar signed a constitution into effect in 2005 -- the first time since
independence from Britain in 1971 -- with the aim of introducing democratic reforms,
resulting in the 2021 elections.

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