Qatar is readily preparing itself to host its first ever elections for the Shura Council.
Preparations for the first-ever Shura Council vote, scheduled for October this year, are in full swing,Director of Legislation Department at the General Secretariat of State Cabinet Abdulaziz Mubarak Al Buainain said.
On Wednesday, Qatar’s Cabinet approved a draft law with provisions concerning the electoral system law that details the criteria needed to run for the first ever Shura Council elections in the Gulf state.
“We, since the assignment of the task for holding the election, have been working proudly because our country is preparing for this important event,” he said.
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“The approval of the draft law for the issuance of a law on the Shura Council election system is an important step towards holding the first Shura Council election,” he added on Qatar TV, where he also said that preparations for the vote are ongoing.
The monumental elections are set to be held in October this year and analysts believe the move will only propel political participation among the public in Qatar.
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.
Preparation of the draft law “comes in the framework of completing the State’s constitutional requirements to elect Shura Council members” to implement previous orders from the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the 49th Shura Council session in 2020, the Cabinet report said.
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