Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has issued decree NO. 40 of 2021 that sets the date to elect new Shura Council members.

Qatar’s Shura Council elections will be held on 2 October, authorities confirmed on Sunday, as candidates registered for the country’s first legislative vote.

The decision was announced after Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued decree to determine the date, the Amiri Diwan said in a statement.

Registered voters across all electoral districts will be called to cast their votes on that date.

Read also: Candidate registration for Qatar’s Shura Council election kicks off

On Sunday, the Supervisory Committee for the Shura Council elections also began registration for candidates of the upcoming vote, marking the second phase of the electoral process.

The applications for registration of candidates will run for five days from Sunday to Thursday.

On Saturday, the committee stopped receiving objection and grievance requests against the preliminary voter lists in the electoral headquarters. The final voter lists will be announced on Sunday.

The elected Shura Council will have legislative authority and will be able to approve general state policies and their budgets. It will also exercise control over the executive, except for bodies defining defence, security, economic, and investment policy.

Qatari citizens will be able to vote for a total of 30 members out of the 45 in a general ballot, with Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani selecting the remaining 15.

How will the drafting process work with the government?

All members of the Council have the right to propose legislative bills, and all proposal must be referred to a relevant committee to be analysed.

This committee will then submit any and all recommendations to the Council which will decide on whether it agrees with the amendments. This will then be submitted as a draft to the government which will study the text and provide an opinion before returning the feedback to the Council.

Read also: All you need to know about Qatar’s first Shura Council elections

The Shura Council has the right to forward proposals relative to public matters to the government. However, if the government is unable to comply with such aspirations, it must give its reasons to the Council.

The law states a Council member shall not be reprimanded for opinions and statements expressed before the rest of the members and the committees, while maintaining objective interests for the country without exploiting their position.

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