President of Qatar University, Dr. Hassan Rashid Al Derham
Doha: The announcement of holding Shura Council elections in October next year means the start of a new phase of the nation building process, said Qatar University (QU) President Dr. Hassan Rashid Al Derham.
“The elections are the manifestation of active popular participation in the management of the nation’s affairs by competent and experienced people, who are chosen by the citizens to represent them, in accordance with a policy defined by the competent authorities which they appreciate according to the needs and requirements of society at every stage of its development,” he said.
During his speech yesterday at a seminar organised by QU on “Shura Council Elections and Future Vision” in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Al Derham added: “The experience comes in accordance with the hope of the leadership and the aspirations of the people, which makes our seminar today important in reflecting this rational national aspiration.”
The seminar was attended by a number of officials from Qatar University and the Ministry of Interior, and was broadcast live through Webex.
Director of Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Interior, Brigadier Salam Saqr Al Muraikhi.
Dr. Al Derham said: “The next Shura Council will have a leading role in expanding popular participation in decision-making, and its pioneering role in continuing the legislative achievements that keep pace with this period.”
The session included three topics. The first topic highlighted the membership and references in accordance with Qatar’s constitution by Dr. Hamad Al Hababi, Assistant professor of Constitutional Law at QU.
The second topic covered the electoral system as a comparative study by Brigadier Salam Saqr Al Muraikhi, Director of Legal Affairs department at the Ministry of Interior.
The third topic was related to guarantees of integrity in the electoral process according to international standards and experiences. Dr. Ali Al Ram, an expert in combating corruption and monitoring the integrity of legislative and municipal elections spoke on the topic.
Al Muraikhi said: “The announcement of the Shura Council elections constitutes a historic turning point and a qualitative leap in the Shura work in the State of Qatar.”
“The State of Qatar has rich experience in the electoral system related to Central Municipal Council (CMC), and that was a distinguished and successful experience, and the successive CMC elections did not witness any problems related to the special procedures and systems used in those elections,” Al Muraikhi said.
He also noted that there is keenness to choose an electoral system in Qatar that guarantees representation of Qatari citizens of all classes, segments and regions, so that the legislative experience will be fruitful and constructive.
