Shura Council Elections. Pictures by Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
Doha: Qataris head to vote today in the first ever Shura Council elections to choose 30 members of the legislative body. The new council will comprise of 45 members, among them 15 will be appointed by H H the Amir.
Due to the importance of the powers enjoyed by the incoming Shura Council, the elections are expected to witness a large turnout from citizens.
The new Shura will have full legislative and supervisory authority over the government. The Council can summon ministers including the prime minister, can dismiss ministers, monitor the government’s financial management, and approve the budget. It will have a legislative role, and will also monitor the performance of the government.
The goal of electing members of the new Shura Council is to enhance effective popular participation in managing the country’s affairs and making decisions. There are 229 candidates, including 26 women, vying for the 30 seats. A candidate for Constituency No. 5 was already elected unopposed.
The campaign witnessed competition among many candidates who presented various programmes, including those related to youth and women, and other general issues such as fighting corruption and activating the supervisory and legislative role of the Shura Council.
The voting opened at 8am and will continue until 6pm in all electoral districts.
Meanwhile, Qatar University called on its students and staff to vote for the Shura Council elections, which is an important step in the nation-building process.
“We remind you of the necessity to participate in the October 2 vote to the Shura Council, as it is an important step in the process of building the State of Qatar,” Qatar University said yesterday.
For its part, the General Directorate of Traffic indicated its readiness to secure the movement of vehicles and ensure the smooth flow of traffic during the elections, in coordination with all relevant authorities.
It has called on voters to proceed early to the polling stations so that they have enough time to cast their votes, stressing the need to adhere to the speed limits on the main roads and around the districts.
The Department’s plan includes intensifying and deploying patrols in the areas around the polling stations, with fixed patrols in each electoral headquarters.
Dr. Hamad Eid Al Rumaihi, Director of the Department of Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control at Ministry of Public Health, asked voters to go early to avoid any crowding at polling stations.
Speaking to Qatar TV yesterday, he said: “Voters should go early to cast their votes. Don’t wait till the last hours before closing the polling stations because this will lead to crowding at polling stations”, he said.
