A historic day for Qatar: First session of first elected Shura Council

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will patronise the opening of the 50th ordinary session of the Shura Council today, recording a historic day in the march of democracy of Qatar.

On this occasion, His Highness the Amir will deliver a speech in which he will present the State’s internal and foreign policies, the most important achievements and future projects, as well as its positions on issues and challenges facing the region.

Today’s session will mark the first Shura Council in which two-thirds of its members were elected through direct secret ballot in a successful democratic experience praised by the whole world.

The modern State of Qatar has high hopes for the new Shura Council, not only in oversight and legislation, but also in being a complementary building block for a long-standing building that took nearly half a century of legislative work, and a modern image of democracy from a Qatari perception that preserves deep-rooted societal values and traditions.

The Amir’s speech at the inauguration of the new session of the Shura Council is a comprehensive statement of the State’s internal policy and all matters of concern to the citizens and residents; and an explanation of new plans that draws the features of a renaissance based on transparency and loyal national competencies.

On the external level, the Amir will present some features of the State’s policy towards a number of Arab, regional and international files, and the growing role of the Qatari diplomacy day after day.

On October 2, Qatar witnessed the first legislative elections for a new Shura Council that will lead the process of legislation and oversight of laws. A total of 234 candidates competed to win 30 seats out of 45 of the Shura Council; and the turnout reached 63.5% of the total number of voters.

The elections witnessed a remarkable presence of young people, and Qatari women who, although they lost a seat in the new parliament, gained ground and space in the democratic competition and an experience for the upcoming elections.

Qatar has realised early on the importance of the legislative authority and the need to establish a council that legislates and monitors the executive authority.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Qatar issued the founding system of the Shura Council about one year after its independence in 1971.

The first Shura Council in the State dates back to 1972 when the amended provisional statute was issued on April 19, 1972 to organize the structures and institutions of the modern state, including the Shura Council.

The Qatari Shura Council was formed at the time, and there were 20 members. Its composition has undergone a series of modifications on more than one occasion. The current Council consists of 45 members.

There are unforgettable dates in the course of the Shura Council. The year 1972 marks the birth of the first legislative council in the modern State of Qatar after independence, and November 3 of 2020 is the day of the announcement of the first elected Shura Council, when His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani announced in the opening of the 49th ordinary session of the Shura Council that the election will be held in October 2021, in accordance with the constitution on which a referendum was held in 2003 and was promulgated in 2004.

The Amir underlined that the elections represent an important step in consolidating the Qatari shura traditions and developing the legislative process with a broader participation of citizens.

On July 29, 2021 the Amir issued Law No 6 of 2021 issuing the Shura Council’s Electoral System Law.

On August 22, the Amir issued Decree No 40 of 2021 setting the date for the election of members of the Shura Council. The decree stipulated that Saturday, October 2, would be the date for electing members of the Shura Council.

Four speakers have held the presidency of the Shura Council in Qatar since 1972, namely: HE Abdulaziz bin Khalid Al Ghanim from 1972 to 1990; HE Ali bin Khalifa al-Hitmi from 1990 to 1995; HE Mohamed bin Mubarak al-Khulaifi from 1995 to 2017; and HE Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid alMahmoud from 2017 to 2021.