Qatar’s Shura Council will hold its first-ever elections in October this year, in a move seen as a key step towards public participation in the country.

Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani approved an electoral to lead the way to the country’s first Shura Council elections, the Amiri Diwan announced on Thursday.

According to the statement, Qatari citizens will be able to vote for 30 members of the 45-seat legislative council while the remaining 15 members will be selected by the amir himself. His decision will then be published in the public gazette.

Qatar to form committees to manage historic Shura elections

The election campaign is set to kick off once the names of the candidates are announced. Voting will take place for one day in in October, though the date has yet to be revealed.

The Shura Council elections are scheduled to take place in October this year and will be the country’s first. Analysts believe this will propel political participation among the public in Qatar.

Read also: Qatar’s Shura Council elections an ‘expansion of civil society’: analyst

Following the elections, the Shura Council’s authority is expected to expand and may include the ability to dismiss ministers, approve the national budget and propose legislation.

“The stages of the electoral process begin with voter’s registration, publishing the initial list, acceptance of grievance and adjudication, and publishing the final list of voters,” the Ministry of Interior said.

“Then starts registration of candidates and announcing their initial lists followed by grievances and adjudication and announcement of the final lists of the candidates,” it noted.

Earlier this month, Qatari authorities announced the establishment of a Supervisory Committee and multiple other executive committees dedicated to dealing with the Shura Council elections.

Per the decision, the Supervisory Committee take charge of the preparation of the elections while overseeing the proper conduct of the electoral process.

The supervisory group will work closely with the executive committees, all of which will be separated into legal, security, technical, media, and logistical bodies.

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