The Qataris elect the majority of the members of their legislative body this Saturday, an unprecedented very supervised ballot, which should not change the balance of power in this rich Gulf country ruled by the ruling family and where political parties remain banned.
Voters are invited to choose 30 out of 45 members of the Majlis al-Shura, an advisory body with little power. Until then, all the members of this council were appointed by Emir Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani. On both sides of the emirate, voters waited patiently in traditional clothes to deposit their ballot in the ballot box. The polling stations close at 6 p.m. (5 p.m. in Paris) and the first results are expected in the evening.
“Positive attention”
By early afternoon, 101 of the 284 candidates had thrown in the towel, according to state television, to support other contenders for the post in their constituencies. The holding of this first legislative ballot by direct universal suffrage, provided for by the 2004 Constitution but postponed several times, takes place when the country is being scrutinized internationally.
One year before the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the authorities believe that organizing these elections “will attract positive attention” to the country, says Luciano Zaccara, Gulf specialist at the University of Qatar. The Shura council will be able to propose laws, approve the budget or even dismiss ministers, prerogatives that it did not have before. But the all-powerful emir, who will appoint the other 15 members, will have a right of veto.
Only 28 women among the candidates
“It’s something remarkable to vote for the first time here. It’s amazing to be able to be part (of the electoral exercise). When I folded my ballot to put it in the ballot box, I felt like I was taking part in something bigger, ”Sheikha Ateeq al-Khulaifi, 25, said in Doha. While a few political rallies have taken place, during the campaign the candidates have all avoided discussing their country’s foreign policy or the status of the monarchy, preferring to focus on societal issues such as health, education or human rights. citizens.
Candidates had to report their campaign events in advance, as well as the names of everyone who would speak there. Only 28 women were among the initially registered candidates, all of whom had to be approved by the Home Office. A minor imbalance for Sabeeka Yousef. “For me, the most important thing in this (electoral) process is to choose a candidate capable of carrying our votes,” she said when voting.
Sections of the population excluded
The majority of the 2.5 million inhabitants of Qatar, the world’s largest producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas, are foreigners and therefore cannot vote. Among the 330,000 Qataris, only the descendants of inhabitants already citizens of the country in 1930 have the right to vote and to stand as candidates, automatically disqualifying families naturalized since. Members of the important al-Mourra tribe were thus excluded from these elections, sparking heated debates on social networks. Candidates run in constituencies based on where their family or tribe lived in the 1930s.
In Al-Khor, a city north of Doha, 13 candidates are vying in one of the constituencies where the competition is the strongest. “There are a lot of candidates, but for me the most important thing in the selection is competence,” said Rashid Abdul Latif Al-Mohannadi, 37 years old.
According to diplomatic sources, internal votes have already been held to determine who to elect in constituencies. “When you don’t have political parties (…) people tend to vote for those they know, family or tribe,” explains Courtney Freer, Gulf Specialist at Emory College (USA). United). The Qataris have already lent themselves to the electoral exercise, having already voted in the past during constitutional reforms or local elections.