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Qataris voted for two-thirds of the members of the advisory committee in the first legislative elections in the Gulf Arab States on Saturday, a process that spurred domestic debates about electoral inclusiveness and citizenship.
The Election Supervision Committee stated that the electoral turnout rate for 30 members of the 45-seat institution was 44%. The ruling Emir will continue to appoint the remaining 15 members of the Council.
The council will have legislative power and approve general national policies and budgets, but will have no say in formulating defense, security, economic, and investment policies for small and wealthy natural gas producers, and political parties are prohibited from participating.
“With the opportunity to vote, I think this is a new chapter,” Munila, who wrote children’s books and asked to reveal only one name, told Reuters. “I am very happy with the number of female candidates.”
The government list shows that 26 of the 233 candidates in 30 regions of the country are women, and the region has been conducting municipal opinion polls for many years.
Men and women vote in different sections. Before the closing ceremony, a large group of people voted in a large tent on the outskirts of the capital Doha, including members of a major tribe, some of whom protested against the narrow voting qualifications.
“At the end of the day, the people of Qatar will be part of the decision-making process,” said Sabaan Al Jassim, a 65-year-old candidate from the Makxia district.
The vote shows that the ruling al-Thani family “takes seriously the idea of symbolically sharing power, but also effectively shares power with other Qatari tribal groups institutionally,” said Alan Frohez, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Georgia State University .
The election was approved in the 2003 constitutional referendum and was held before the World Cup in Doha next year.
On October 2, 2021, Qataris voted in the country’s first legislative elections and won two-thirds of the seats on the advisory committee [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]Vote for “experiment”
Al Jazeera’s Jamal El Shayar reported from a polling station in the capital Doha that the election was seen as an important step in the modernization of the governance system.
“What we have seen so far… voters are very active,” he said.
“The citizens who can vote in these elections are very excited. [Shura Council] In the past few decades, the agency has been mainly an advisory agency, but Qatar has been promoting the sharing of responsibilities, expanding participation, and developing the relationship between citizens and the state,” he added.
“Through this idea or promotion, make this institution an institution where people can participate, vote, and give more power. This is similar to parliaments in other countries because it can draft laws, challenge or even dismiss ministers.”
Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, described the vote as a new “experiment” last month and said that the Security Council cannot be expected from the first year. Have “all the roles of any council”.
Kuwait is the only Gulf monarchy country that gives substantive power to an elected parliament, although the ultimate decision-making power depends on its ruler, just like in neighboring countries.
“This is the first experience for me…Come here and meet people to talk about these things we need,” said Khalid Almutawah, a candidate for the Markhiya district. “Ultimately, we hope to promote our society and we will do our best to help our people and government.”
Dorsa Jabbari of Al Jazeera also reported at a polling station in Doha. She said that female voters are happy to be able to participate in such a historic process.
“It is very important for their voices to be heard,” Jabari said. “They believe that any future in this country must include women as part of this vision in order to be able to make decisions and participate in a government that will have an impact on their daily lives.”
“Some of the issues that the candidates have said they will address if elected has to do with women’s rights as well as [amplifying] Their voices in different sectors of the country,” she added.
On October 2, 2021, Qataris voted in the country’s first legislative elections and won two-thirds of the seats on the advisory committee [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]Not all Qataris are eligible
There are approximately 333,000 Qataris-only 10% of the population of 2.8 million-but an election law passed in July last year stipulates that only the descendants of people who became citizens in 1930 are eligible to vote and stand, and since then Naturalized family members lose their eligibility.
Dafi Al Merri, a 30-year-old member of the Al Murra tribe, said the issue could be resolved by the new committee, some of which led small demonstrations in August.
“We will have a good candidate to solve it and talk about this law or any other issues in the future,” he said.
Human Rights Watch said that thousands of Qataris were excluded from voting. The organization stated that Qatar arrested about 15 demonstrators and critics of the election law during the protests. A Qatari source with knowledge of the matter said that two people are still detained for “inciting violence and hate speech.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that the next Shura Committee has a “clear procedure” for reviewing the electoral law.
Kristin Smith Diwan of the Institute of Arab Gulf States in Washington said: “Qatar’s leaders proceeded cautiously, limiting participation in significant ways and maintaining important control over political debates and outcomes.”
But she said that popular politics is unpredictable. “Over time, as this public forum develops, Qataris may see their roles and rights in a different way.”
Qatari women vote in the country’s first legislative elections [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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