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Shura Council of Qatar

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Shura Council of Qatar

مجلس الشورى القطري
51st Session
Type
Type
History
FoundedApril 1972
Leadership
Speaker
Hassan bin Abdulla Al-Ghanim
since 27 October 2021
Deputy Speaker
Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti
since 27 October 2021
Structure
Seats45
Political groups
  •   Appointed by Emir (45)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
As of November 2024, all 45 seats are appointed by Emir
Last election
2 October 2021
Meeting place
Doha
State of Qatar
Website
https://www.shura.qa

The Qatari Shura Council (Arabic: مجلس الشورى القطري, romanized: Majlis as-Shura; also known as the Consultative Assembly) is the unicameral advisory legislative body of the State of Qatar, which holds limited power. It is fully appointed by the emir.

The body has the authority to approve "general state policies and the budget", but "has no say in the setting of defence, security, economic and investment policy".[1] Its legislation on other matters must be ratified by the emir, and although the Council may overrule that veto with a two-thirds supermajority, the emir can still suspend that law indefinitely "to serve the higher interests of the country".[2] The Council may also dismiss a minister, but not the prime minister, through a two-thirds vote of no confidence.[3]

For four years after its first and last elections in 2021, it consisted of 45 members, made up of 30 elected representatives and 15 appointees of the Emir,[1] but as of 2024 it has gone back to all 45 members being directly appointed by the emir.[4] Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stated that "the Shura Council is not a representative parliament in a democratic system, and its status and powers will not be affected whether its members are chosen by election or appointment".[5]

Authorities and relation to the executive

[edit]

The Shura Council is fully appointed by the emir.[3][4] It is an advisory legislature, and possesses limited power. It has the authority to approve "general state policies and the budget", but "has no say in the setting of defence, security, economic and investment policy".[1] Its legislation on other matters must be ratified by the emir, and although the Council may overrule that veto with a two-thirds supermajority, the emir can still suspend that law indefinitely "to serve the higher interests of the country".[2] The Council may also dismiss a minister, but not the prime minister, through a two-thirds vote of no confidence.[3]

History

[edit]

The Council was formed in April 1972 with 20 appointed members.[6] The number of members was increased to 30 in 1975, and again to 41 in 2017.[6] In November 2017, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani appointed four women to the Council, marking the first time women have been members of it.[7]

In 2003, Qatar's new constitution first mandated that partial elections were to be held for the Shura Council, where 30 of its 45 members would be elected by the public, and 15 would remain appointed by the emir. Elections were first promised for 2005, but were delayed. In 2009, scholar Mehran Kamrava concluded that emir Hamad bin Khalifa's rhetoric on political liberalization was mostly meant to recruit support in the West, and predicted that "for the time being" chances that these elections would actually take place "seem minimal".[8]

Elections were delayed several more times, until they were finally held in practice in 2021. The disenfranchisement of Qataris whose ancestors were naturalized after 1930 sparked tensions and criticism.[9][10] Some observers, especially after the abolishment of further elections in 2024, noted that the timing of the election, after many delays, shortly before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, suggested that the election had more to do with Qatar wanting to improve its international image than with genuine political liberalization.[9][11]

2024 referendum

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In October 2024, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced a constitutional referendum on proposals to abolish elections to the Shura Council and revert it to a fully appointed body, and said that "the Shura Council is not a representative parliament in a democratic system, and its status and powers will not be affected whether its members are chosen by election or appointment".[5] He also noted that the election had produced conflict among families and tribes.[12]

The referendum was held in November 2024, with the Ministry of Interior saying that 89% of voters backed it, officially abolishing future elections and returning the Council to being fully appointed by the emir.[4]

Members

[edit]

Speaker

Deputy speaker

Rapporteurs[16]

  • Hadi bin Saeed al-Khayarin
  • Rashid bin Hamad al-Meadadi

Speakers

[edit]
Name Entered office Left office Duration Notes
Abdul Aziz Bin Khalid Al-Ghanim 1 May 1972 8 December 1990 18 years, 7 months and 7 days [17]
Ali bin Khalifa Al Hitmi 8 December 1990 27 March 1995 4 years, 3 months and 19 days [17]
Mohamed Bin Mubarak Al-Khulaifi 27 March 1995 14 November 2017 22 years, 7 months and 18 days [17]
Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud 14 November 2017 27 October 2021 3 years, 11 months and 13 days [18][19]
Hassan bin Abdulla Al-Ghanim 27 October 2021 Present 4 years, 9 months and 29 days [20]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 Mills, Andrew; Barrington, Lisa (2021-10-02). "Qatar's first legislative elections see 63.5% voter turnout". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  2. 1 2 "Qatar | Shura Council | Law-making". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar (amended as of 2024)". Qatar Ministry of Justice – via refworld.
  4. 1 2 3 Gambrell, Jon (2024-11-05). "Qataris votes to end limited polls for legislative seats in shadow of US election". AP News. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  5. 1 2 Mills, Andrew (2024-10-15). "Qatar to hold referendum on measure to abandon legislative elections, Emir says". Reuters. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  6. 1 2 "The Shura Council, History". Qatar Shura Council. Archived from the original on 2026-06-11. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  7. ↑ "Qatar appoints four women to Shura Council". Al Jazeera. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Kamrava, Mehran (2009-07-01). "Royal Factionalism and Political Liberalization in Qatar". The Middle East Journal. 63: 401–420. doi:10.1353/mej.0.0063.
  9. 1 2 "Qatari women fail to break through in first legislative elections". France 24. 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  10. ↑ "Qatar: Election Law Exposes Discriminatory Citizenship | Human Rights Watch". 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  11. ↑ Shahnawaz, Mohammad; Alam, Mujib (2026), Ashwarya, Sujata; Alam, Mujib (eds.), "Political Participation in Qatar: From Municipal Elections to the Shura Council", Comparative Electoral Politics and the Quest for Representation in West Asia and North Africa, Singapore: Springer Nature, pp. 365–390, doi:10.1007/978-981-95-3704-4_15, retrieved 2026-08-12, Approved in 2003 but delayed until 2021, the elections coincided with global attention before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, suggesting a strategic move to enhance Qatar's international image rather than deepen democratic governance. Thus, while Shura Council elections initially promised greater representation, their abrupt termination reveals Qatar's prioritization of political stability and global prestige over substantive democratization and meaningful participation. ... Initially seen as an important step towards participation, the 2021 Shura Council elections, approved in 2003 but delayed until after the 2017 Gulf blockade, were cancelled shortly after Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup (Muftah, 2021). The timing suggests strategic manoeuvring to enhance Qatar's international image under global scrutiny. Repeated election delays since 2003 likely served as symbolic reforms intended to manage domestic expectations and bolster global legitimacy, rather than advance genuine political liberalization.
  12. ↑ "Qatar's ruler says his nation will vote on abandoning legislative elections after just one poll". Associated Press. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Who Is Hassan Bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, Who Became President Of The First Elected Parliament In Qatar?". Gulf News. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  14. 1 2 "The Shura Council, Current Speaker and Members". www.shura.qa. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
  15. 1 2 "Shura Council". Government Communications Office. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  16. ↑ "Current Speaker and Members". The Shura Council. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 "Previous Speakers And Members". Shura of Qatar. 12 January 2019.
  18. ↑ "The Shura Council, HE MR. Ahmad Bin Abdulla Bin Zaid AL Mahmoud".
  19. ↑ "IPU PARLINE database: QATAR (Majlis Al-Shura), Full text".
  20. ↑ "Shura Council elects speaker, deputy speaker during first session". Doha News | Qatar. 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  21. "Qatar elections to be held in 2013 - Emir". BBC News. 2011-11-01. Archived from the original on 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
  22. Agarwal, Hina (2011-11-09). "Qatar to hold elections in 2013". Arabian Gazette. Archived from the original on 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
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