The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) has been following with great concern the regression of the limited political rights across different Gulf States, including Kuwait and Qatar. On 15 October 2024, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani announced certain constitutional and legal revisions, that will be decided by a public referendum. These revisions, as decided by the Council of Ministers, include repealing the provision for the election of two thirds of the 45-member Shura Council, who will instead be appointed by the Emir. The Emir referred to two main objectives for these revisions: to maintain national unity and equal rights and duties of citizens, as well as to guarantee equality through the law and ensure justice.
Election of two thirds of the Shura Council members was written in the Qatari Constitution since 2004 but was never implemented until July 2021. At that time, GCHR reported that the Emir “ratified Law No. (6) of 2021 regarding the procedures for the election of the Shura Council. The law, which includes 58 articles, limits in Article 2 the right to vote to those who have original Qatari nationality, or have acquired Qatari nationality, provided that their grandfather is Qatari and born in the State of Qatar. Article 10 sets a strict condition for those who are entitled to run for membership in the Shura Council, which is that their original nationality must be Qatari.”
In addition, in July 2021, the Emir also ratified Law No. (7). Article 2 of Law No. (7) states that there will be 45 members of the Shura Council, 15 of whom will be directly appointed by the Emir.
The new laws excluded naturalised or Stateless Qataris, as well as members of the Al-Marri tribe, from participating as candidates or voters in the partial elections. The public responded with massive protests and recorded objections of prominent Qataris on social media that were followed by a wide state crackdown on critics.
The Qatari Shura Council does not possess substantive political or legislative power. The only partial election that took place on October 2021 had a total of 233 candidates competing, 101 of whom withdrew their candidacy on election day. GCHR reported on the unsuccessful campaigning of 28 women candidates, partly due to massive pressures by the state security bureau. In that election, the Emir appointed two women of the 15 appointed members.
The Emir stated in his recent speech to the Shura Council that the partial election was an experiment that drew the conclusion to initiate constitutional revisions. He added that the Shura Council is not a representative Parliament in a democratic system, and its position and authorities will not be affected whether members were elected or appointed. Though the Emir has declared that the revisions are to be decided upon by a public referendum, he did not mention any specific timeline for it.
The limited political and legislative rights of Qatari citizens and the exclusion of significant groups from those rights are concerning. This is particularly true when there is active state surveillance and repression of citizens’ critical views, which are necessary for any meaningful public referendum. This step comes at a time where the Kuwaiti Emir has also ordered the dissolution of the Parliament in a concerning pattern of deteriorating political rights in the region.
Recommendations:
GCHR calls on the Qatari authorities to:
- Refrain from revoking political rights and guarantee public representation in a fully empowered Shura Council that possesses both legislative and political powers;
- Allow all Qatari citizens and stateless individuals to enjoy equal political rights in voting or elections for the Shura Council without discrimination; and
- Ensure that the State Security Apparatus is not involved in repressive measures against citizens for voicing opinions on their country’s political affairs, in accordance with the state’s commitments to human rights.
