Historic Change: Qatar's Constitutional Amendments Overhaul Shura Council

Qatar's referendum on constitutional amendments, with a 90.6% approval, replaces legislative elections with appointed roles for the Shura Council. This change follows tensions from the 2021 elections when some Bedouin tribe members were ineligible to vote. The Emir celebrated the referendum as a testament to Qatari progress.

Qatar's political landscape underwent a significant transformation with a referendum that received 90.6% approval, altering the formation of the Shura Council by substituting legislative elections with appointed positions, as confirmed by the Gulf state's interior minister on Wednesday.

The country held its inaugural elections in 2021 to elect two-thirds of the Shura Council, an event that led to rare tribal unrest when members of a prominent Bedouin tribe were found ineligible to participate. Following the referendum, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani praised the outcome on social media, linking it to the vision of Qatar's predecessors.

Although Qatar's Shura Council, which holds legislative powers and reviews state policies and budgets, was set for elections approved in the 2003 constitutional referendum, these did not occur until 2021. Despite its role, the Council cannot influence defense, security, economic, or investment policies in the resource-rich nation that prohibits political parties.

(With inputs from agencies.)