Qatar's Government Structure
Qatar's Government Structure
encouragement of women to run as candidates and be involved in public affairs. The Council has members from each of the 29 constituencies and elections are held every four years.
The Amiri Diwan is the sovereign body and administrative office of HH The Amir, overseen by the Chief of the Amiri Diwan, currently HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The Amir is the Head of State and the Commanderin-Chief of the armed forces. The Advisory Council represents the legislative power, while judicial authority is in the hands of the law courts with judgments announced in the name of the Amir. The Amir is assisted by the Council of Ministers (the cabinet), the Prime Minister and Supreme Councils. The Prime Minister and other ministers are directly appointed by the Amir; he will also accept their resignations or relieve them of their appointment, by Amiri Decree. The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers acts as a link between the ministries, supreme councils and other government bodies. The Minister of State for the Council of Ministers is the Prime Minister, who chairs each session, signs any decisions made, and advise the Amir on how to form the cabinet. The General Secretary is HE Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi. The Shura Council (Advisory Council) was established in 1972 during the reign of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani. Under the amended Provisional Constitution he was tasked with organising the State's structure and institutions. The Shura Council currently comprises 45 members, 30 directly elected in a secret general ballot, with the remaining 15 appointed by the Amir. The Advisory Council has legislative powers and is able to approve the budget and general state policies, but has no say in setting defence, security, economic and investment policies. Each annual session lasts eight months, opened with an address by the Amir, and sessions are generally open to the public. The first Central Municipal Council was established in the early 1950s. Free elections to form the Central Municipal Council were held in 1999, the country's first steps towards democracy and the 22
M83 SPRING/SUMMER 2022 ©
Qatar’s first (and much delayed) legislative council elections took place in October 2021, with citizens voting for 30 of the 45 seats on the Shura Council. Voters had to be over 18, the 284 candidates had to be at least 30 years old 'of Qatari origin'. Turnout was 63.5%. HE Ahmed Nasser Ibrahim Al Fadala was appointed Shura Council Secretary General, HE Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim as Speaker and HE Dr Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti as Deputy Speaker.
Recent developments HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani named a new cabinet the day after becoming the Amir of the State of Qatar on 25 June 2013. A full reshuffle was made in November 2018, with ministries restructured under a new portfolio. The Amir combined commerce and industry into one ministry, appointed new ministers and decreed changes to the boards of Qatar Petroleum (now Qatar Energy) and Qatar Investment Authority in view of ministerial appointments. Amiri Order No 1 of 2020 appointed a new prime minister after the previous incumbent's resignation. The Council of Ministers was again restructured in October under Amiri Order No 4 of 2021. A number of ministries were split and (re)formed, leading to a new manifesto for climate change at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Also new are the Ministry for Social Development and Family and the Ministry of Labor, following the restructure of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.
Pictured from left: HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Dr Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti, Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council
MARHABA
M83 QATAR'S GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE.indd 1
3/29/22 8:36 AM
