Qatar’s Shura Council was established in 1972, following the passing of the Amended Provisional Basic Law of Rule in the State of Qatar on 19 April 1972, to assist His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, and the Council of Ministers in the performance of their duties.
The Shura Council originally had 20 appointed members, a composition which has been subsequently amended on several occasions. The current Council sits 45 members.
In November 2020, His Highness the Amir announced that Shura Council elections would be taking place for the first time in 2021. This is part of Qatar’s ambition to develop its legislative process with wider citizen participation, reflecting the values of the Qatari Constitution and Qatar National Vision 2030.
The Council assumes the following functions in accordance with the Constitution:
- Legislative authority.
- Approving the general budget of the government.
- Exercising control over the executive authority, as specified in the Constitution.
- The Shura Council shall have the right to forward proposals relative to public matters to the government. If the government is unable to comply with such aspirations, it must give its reasons to the Council. The Council may comment only once on the government’s statement.
The term of office of the Shura Council shall be four calendar years commencing from the date of the first meeting.
The Shura Council represents Qatar in numerous parliamentary associations and international organisations. This includes the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Arab Parliament, the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, and the Association of Senates, Shura & Equivalent Councils in Africa & the Arab World.
Shura Council Formation
The Shura Council comprises a total of 45 members, 30 of whom are directly elected via secret general ballot, whilst the remaining 15 are appointed by HH the Amir. Shura Council membership shall end in the event of death, total disability, expiration of membership term, resignation, termination of membership, or dissolution of the Shura Council.
Appointments to the Shura Council
On 10 October 2021, in accordance with Amiri Decision No. 54 of 2021, His Highness the Amir appointed Dr Ahmed Nasser Ibrahim Al Fadala to serve as Secretary-General of the Shura Council. On 14 October 2021, Amiri Decision No. 56 of 2021 was issued, in which HH the Amir appointed 15 members to the Shura Council.
Shura Council Elections
In realisation of the vision of HH the Amir, as announced in his speech at the opening of the 49th session of the Shura Council in 2020, the first legislative elections to pick members of the elected Shura Council took place on Saturday, 2 October 2021.
The voting process began at 8:00 am and continued until 6:00 pm. Qatari citizens were keen to show the spirit of responsible citizenship and fulfil the national duty of effective participation in this historic event, with 63.5% of the total registered voters casting their votes.
The results of the first Shura Council elections as approved by the elections committees are as follows:
- Abdul Rahman Yousuf Abdul Rahman Al Khulaifi
- Ahmed Hetmi Ahmed Al Hetmi
- Abdullah Ali Jumua Al Sulaiti
- Eisa Ahmed Eisa Nasr Al Nasr
- Hassan Abdullah Ghanem Al Ghanem Al Maadheed (Elected unanimously)
- Khalid Ghanem Nasser Al Ali Al Maadheed
- Khalid Ahmed Nasser Ahmed Al Obaidan
- Nasser Salmeen Khalid Al Suwaidi
- Hamad Abdullah Abdul Rahman Ali Al Mulla
- Khalid Abbas Ali Kamal Al Emadi
- Nasser Muhsin Muhammed Bu Kasheesha
- Eisa Arar Eisa Ali Al Rumaihi
- Muhammed Yousef Abdul Rahman Al Mana
- Muhammed Muftah Abdul Rahman Al Muftah
- Yousuf Ali Yousuf Al Khatir
- Ali Muhsin Abdullah Rashid Futais
- Muhammed Buti Salem Khalifa Al Abdallah
- Ali Shabeeb Nasser Al Atiyya
- Nasser Metref Eisa Al Metref Al Humaidi
- Ahmed Hamad Ahmed Al Hassan Al Muhannadi
- Muhammed Eid Saad Al Hasan Al Kaabi
- Mubarak Muhammed Matar Al Matar Al Kuwari
- Yousuf Ahmed Ali Al Sada
- Muhammed Omer Ahmed Al Salem Al Mannai
- Nasser Hassan Dandoun Al Nufaihi Al Kubaisi
- Nasser Muhammed Nasser Al Jaffali Al Nuaimi
- Sultan Hassan Mubarak Al Dhabit Al Dosari
- Mubarak Saif Hamdan Mesaf Al Mansouri
- Ali Saeed Rashid Al Kumait Al Khayarin
- Salem Rashed Salem Rashed Al Muraikhi
The names of those appointed to the Shura Council by HH the Amir are as follows:
- Yousef Ahmed Ali Omran Al Kuwari
- Saad Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Ibrahim Al Muhannadi
- Badi Ali Mohammed Al-Badi
- Mohammed Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Muslim
- Muhammad Mahdi Ajyan Al-Ahbabi
- Sheikha Yousef Al-Jufairi
- Ahmed Ibrahim Rashid Al-Maliki
- Saud Jassim Mohammed Al Buainain
- Saad Ahmed Abdullah Al-Misnad
- Muhammad Mansour Khalil Al Khalil Al-Shahwani
- Hamda Hassan Abdulrahman Abudhaain Al-Sulaiti
- Ahmed Sultan Muhammad Sabah Al-Asiri
- Abdullah Jaber Muhammad Libdeh
- Abdullah Nasser Turki Al-Subaie
- Umair Abdullah Khalid Aljabr Al-Nuaimi
Electoral districts
In accordance with Amiri Decree No. 37 of 2021, the country will be divided into 30 electoral districts, each of which will elect one representative.
Candidate nominations
Election Day
His Highness the Amir issued Decree No. 40 of 2021 setting 2 October 2021 as the date for electing members of the Shura Council.
The voting process will begin on Saturday, 2 October 2021. Polling stations will open their doors at 8:00 am and will continue working until 6:00 pm.
The names of elected members of the Shura Council will be announced on the evening of the election day (2 October 2021).
Election Campaigns
Election campaigning will begin following the announcement of the final list of candidates on Wednesday, 15 September 2021, and must end 24 hours prior to the start of the voting process on Friday, 1 October 2021.
The maximum expenditure of each candidate during their electoral campaign must not exceed two million Qatari riyals.
During the campaign, candidates must respect the constitution and the freedom of others to express their opinion. They must maintain national unity and community safety, and must not offend any other candidate. Candidates cannot incite tribal or sectarian strife among citizens and society in any way.
Timeline for the 2021 Shura Council elections
You can visit the Shura Council Elections Supervisory Committee website for more information about the Shura Council elections.