Qatar’s Government Structure

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 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. 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

The current Council of Ministers: • Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani – appointed

January 2020 following the resignation of HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. He was previously Director of HH The Amir’s office and Chief of the Amiri Diwan from 2014–20. He also sits on the board of the Sports and Social Activities Support Fund (Daam). • Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs HE Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al

Attiyah – appointed Minister of State for Defence in January 2016 and Deputy Prime Minister in

November 2017. He has been a member of the Council of Ministers since 2011 when he was Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; HE Al Attiyah was Minister of Foreign Affairs 2013–16. • Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (right)

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani – appointed

Minister of Foreign Affairs in January 2016 and Deputy Prime Minister in

November 2017. In November 2018 he was appointed Chairman of Qatar

Investment Authority. • Minister of Commerce and Industry HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani (October 2021). • Minister of Communications and Information Technology HE Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai (October 2021 after the Ministry of

Transport and Communications was split). • Minister of Culture HE Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin

Hamad Al Thani (October 2021 when the Ministry of Culture and Sports was split). • Minister of Education and Higher Education HE Buthaina bint Ali

Al Jabr Al Nuaimi (October 2021). • Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs HE Ghanem bin Shaheen bin

Ghanem Al Ghanim (October 2021). • Minister of Environment and Climate Change (right) HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani (October 2021). • Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari (October 2021, following his temporary appointment in May 2021). • Minister of Justice HE Masoud bin Mohammed Al Ameri (June 2021). • Minister of Labor Dr Ali bin Saeed bin Smaikh Al Marri (October 2021 after the Ministry was split from the former Ministry of Administrative

Development, Labour and Social Affairs). • Minister of Municipality HE Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie (reappointed October 2021 after the Ministry of Municipality and Environment was split). • Minister of Public Health HE Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari (January 2016). • Minister of Social Development and Family HE Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad (October 2021 when the Ministry of Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs was reformed). • Minister of Sports and Youth HE Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali (reappointed October 2021 when the

Ministry of Culture and Sports was reformed). • Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, a member of the Council of Ministers HE Mohammed bin

Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Yousef Al Sulaiti (October 2021). • Minister of State for Energy Affairs HE Saad Sherida Al Kaabi (November 2018. At the same time he became Deputy Chairman of Qatar Petroleum, in addition to his role as President and CEO of the national petrochemical company). • Minister of Transport HE Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti (the former Minister of Transport and

Communications was reappointed October 2021 after the Ministry was reformed).