On Tuesday, Qataris will head to the polls for the fourth time to elect its new Central Municipal Council.

There are 102 candidates running for 29 spots, and each member will serve a four-year term.

There has been talk about declaring election day a national holiday. Other countries do so to encourage voters concerned with work to go to the polls. 

But only 32,679 people in Qatar are registered to vote in the elections, a mere fraction of the nearly 2 million people who live here.

Voter malaise due to the lack of clout wielded by the CMC and the small percentage of people who are allowed to vote in the elections have raised questions about the point of elections in the past.

So let’s discuss – should Qatar celebrate its democratic process by declaring Tuesday a national holiday?