Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Qatar is planning to hold a referendum to force its citizens to vote on a number of constitutional amendments, including the abolition of regular parliamentary elections, Reuters reports. The moves are a response to tensions caused by the country’s first-ever elections last year.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, said on Tuesday that the elections were only an “experiment” that the government plans to analyse. He announced proposals for several constitutional amendments that will now be sent to a referendum for discussion and approval by the Council.
According to Reuters, the results of the referendum will be binding on the law. Qatar has long endorsed the possibility of holding parliamentary elections since 2003, but actually organised them for the first time only last year.
On the eve of the referendum in Qatar, controversies arose over restrictions on the participation of representatives of certain tribes, in particular, the Al-Murra, consisting of Bedouins from eastern Saudi Arabia. This caused protests among representatives of this tribal community.
Sheikh Tamim also noted that the Shura Council, although a legislative body, is not a parliament in the full sense of the democratic system, as it does not have a representative function in the country’s highest legislative body.
In his speech, Sheikh Tamim stressed the need to avoid internal tensions that the election process could cause and called for understanding and cooperation among all tribes and citizens of Qatar.
Qatar remains one of the Gulf countries where political parties are banned, which limits certain aspects of the country’s political life, including representation in the legislature.
