Today is a historic day for Qatar when its citizens are going to elect members of the Shura Council. It is a great development towards citizens’ participation in the decision-making process. The legislations to be proposed and passed by the elected Shura Council will support Qatar’s journey towards further development and prosperity.
All polling day arrangements have been given final touches and all registered voters are set to cast their votes today to elect the most capable and competent from the competing candidates who will definitely serve the state with their best efforts and dedication.
Voting will open at 8am and continue until 6pm, while adhering to COVID-19 precautionary measures in place in the country.
There are 229 candidates, including 26 women, who are competing to win two-thirds (30 seats) of the 45-seat Shura Council, while the other 15 members will be appointed as stipulated in the Qatari Constitution.
The candidates ran very expressive electoral campaigns in last two weeks not only through the mainstream and social media platforms but also by organising gatherings to present their programmes to the voters.
Most of the candidates during their campaigns focused on issues like youth, women empowerment and education. Candidates’ programmes and their campaign promises were mainly similar, covering fighting corruption, promoting integrity, transparency, healthcare support, and others. Today’s election reflects the wise leadership’s desire to expand popular participation in decision-making and move forward in the reform process.
The new legislative council enjoys broader powers through which it can approve public policies, ratify international agreements, monitor budget and government performance, request questioning of ministers, and other powers that promote the separation of powers.
Meanwhile, the General Directorate of Traffic, in coordination with all relevant authorities, has also completed its preparations to ensure the smooth flow of traffic on the polling day.
Director of the Traffic Awareness Department of the General Directorate of Traffic, Colonel Muhammad Radi Al Hajri, called on all voters to leave early when going to the electoral headquarters so that they have enough time to cast their votes, stressing the need to adhere to the speed limits set on the main roads and in the vicinity of the electoral headquarters.
Recently, the Supervisory Committee for the Shura Council elections also organised a meeting for volunteers as part of its preparations for the polling day. The meeting reviewed the role and tasks of volunteers, and the work mechanism to help voters and facilitate the voting process.
The elections will be held in a safe, peaceful environment and almost all registered voters will exercise their voting right according to their honest judgement to elect the most competent candidates.
