Qatar to hold referendum on constitutional amendment to abandon legislative elections

Qatar will hold a rare referendum for citizens to vote on a set of constitutional amendments, including a proposal that would abandon an effort to introduce elections, the Gulf Arab state's emir said on Tuesday. Qatar held its first ever elections in 2021 to choose two-thirds of the members of the advisory Shura Council. The elections sparked rare tribal tensions in Qatar after some members of a main Bedouin tribe found themselves ineligible to vote in the poll. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday called the elections "an experiment" that was reviewed and led the government to propose the constitutional amendments. "The Shura Council is not a representative parliament in a democratic system, and its status and powers will not be affected whether its members are chosen by election or appointment" Sheikh Tamim said in his annual speech to open the council's session. The council will review the draft amendments and put them to a referendum, Sheikh Tamim said. The referendum results will be binding, a Qatari official told Reuters.
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