21 June 2021
12 Thul-Qi'dah 1442
عربي
The Shura Council shall assume legislative authority, approve the general policy of the government and the budget, and shall exercise control over the executive authority as specified in this Constitution.
The Shura Council shall consist of forty-five members, thirty of whom shall be elected by direct, general secret ballot, and the Emir shall appoint the remaining fifteen members from amongst the ministers or any other persons.
The term of office of the appointed members of the Shura Council shall expire when these members resign their seats or are relieved of their posts.
The election system shall be determined by legislation in which the conditions and procedures of nomination and election are specified.
The electoral constituencies into which the State is divided shall be determined by a decree.
The members of the Advisory Council (Shura) must fulfill the following conditions:
1. be Qatari nationals;
2. be not less than thirty calendar years of age at the close nominations;
3. be fluent in the reading and writing of Arabic;
4. must not have been convicted by a competent court of law for an offence involving immoral behaviour or dishonesty, unless rehabilitated in accordance with the Law; and
5. be eligible to vote as determined by electoral law.
The term of office of the Shura Council shall be four calendar years commencing from the date of the first meeting, and the election of a new Council shall be conducted during the last ninety days of the aforementioned term. Any member whose term of office expires may be re-elected, and where the election is not held at the expiry of the Council’s term of office or is delayed for any reason whatsoever, the term of office shall continue until a new Council is elected. The legislative term shall not be extended save by necessity and by decree provided that the said extension shall not exceed the period of one legislative term.
The competent Judicial Authority to decide on the validity of members' election to the Shura Council shall be determined by the Law.
Where for any reason the seat of one of the elected members of the Shura Council falls vacant at least six months before expiry of the Council's term of office, a successor shall be elected within two months from the date of notification of such vacancy. Where, on the other hand, the seat of an appointed member falls vacant, a new member shall be appointed to fill the vacancy. In both cases, the new member shall complete the term of his predecessor.
The annual term of session of the Council shall be at least eight months, and the Council may not adjourn the session until the budget of the State is approved.
The Shura Council shall commence its annual ordinary session upon convocation by the Emir in the month of October every year.
Notwithstanding the preceding two Articles, the Emir shall summon the Council within one month of the conclusion of a general election for its first meeting following the election.
Where the convening of the Council is delayed during this term from the date prescribed by the preceding Article, the duration of the term of the Council shall be reduced by the length of time of that delay.
The Emir or his nominated representative shall open the annual term of the session of the Shura Council and give a comprehensive speech in which he addresses the affairs of the State.
In case of necessity, the Emir, by a decree or at the request of a majority of the members of the Council, shall call an extraordinary meeting of the Shura Council. In the case of an extraordinary session, the Council shall not look into any matters other than those for which it has been convened.
Summoning and adjourning ordinary and extraordinary sessions of the Council shall be by decree.
The Emir may, by a decree, postpone a meeting of the Shura Council for a period not exceeding one month, but the postponement of such meeting shall not be repeated during any one term, save with the approval of the Council and for a single period of one month, and such a period shall not be deemed part of the term of the session.
The Council shall hold its meetings at its official seat in Doha City. However, the Emir may convene the Council in any other place.
In an open session and prior to the discharge of their duties with the Shura Council, the members shall take the following solemn oath:- “I, …, do solemnly swear by the Almighty Allah to be loyal to the country and to the Emir, respect Shari'a Law, the Constitution and the Law, safeguard the interests of the people and perform my duties with honesty and integrity”.
The Council at its first meeting shall elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker from among the members for the duration of its term of office. In the event of either position becoming vacant, the Council shall elect a replacement to serve for the remainder of the Council’s term. The election shall be by secret ballot and by absolute majority of the votes of attending members; should such majority not be obtained on the first vote, a second vote shall be held between the two members with the highest numbers of votes. Where there is a tie between the second of the two who obtained the most votes and another candidate, this third candidate shall run in the second vote and in such an eventuality the election shall be determined by relative majority. In the event that more than one candidate obtains equal votes, the choice will be made by allotment. The session shall be chaired by the most senior member until the Speaker is elected.
Within two weeks of the commencement of its annual session, the Council shall form such committees from among the members as may be necessary for the performance of its functions. Such committees may discharge their functions during the recess of the Council in preparation for submission to the Council, at the beginning of the following session, of the results of their work.
The Council shall have a bureau consisting of the Speaker, his deputy and chairs of committees and it shall have a general secretariat to assist the Council in the discharge of its functions.
Maintaining order in the Council shall be the function of the Speaker.
The Shura Council shall make regulations governing its internal order and conduct of business, the work of committees, the organization of sessions, procedural and voting rules and all functions stipulated in this Constitution. The regulations shall determine disciplinary penalties for any members violating orders, or failing to attend sessions of the Council or committees without acceptable reason; and the aforementioned regulations shall be issued by law.
Sittings of the Council shall be public, but they may also be held in camera at the request of one-third of the members of the Council or at the request of the Council of Ministers.
For the sessions of the Council to be a quorum, the majority of the members must be present and the Speaker or his Deputy must also be present. In the event that a quorum is not attained, the session shall be adjourned to the next sitting.
The resolutions of the Council shall be passed by absolute majority of the attending members save in cases that require a special majority, and in the event that the votes are equal, the Speaker shall have the casting vote.
Membership of the Council ceases by reason of:
1. Death or serious incapacity,
2. Expiry of term of membership,
3. Resignation,
4. Removal from office,
5. Dissolution of the Council.
The resignation of a member shall be made in writing to the Speaker. The Speaker shall submit the resignation to the Council to determine its acceptance or refusal. The rules pertaining to this matter shall be specified by internal regulations.
No member may be removed from the Council unless he loses its confidence and esteem, or becomes disqualified through lack of one of the conditions of membership on the basis of which he was elected, or unless he is in breach of the duties of membership. A resolution for removal from the Council shall be taken by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Council.
The Emir may dissolve the Council by a decree in which the reasons for the dissolution shall be stated. However, the Council shall not be dissolved twice for the same reason. Where the Council is dissolved, the election of a new Council shall take place within a period not exceeding six months from the date of dissolution. Until a new Council is elected, the Emir, with the assistance of the Council of Ministers, shall assume the power of legislation.
1. Every member of the Council shall have the right to propose legislative bills, and every proposal shall be referred to the relevant committee of the Council for scrutiny. This committee will in turn submit recommendations to the Council. If the Council agrees to the amendments, the same shall be referred in draft form to the government for study and opinion. Such draft shall be returned to the Council during the same or the following session.
2. Any legislative bill rejected by the Council may not be re-introduced during the same session.
1. Any draft law passed by the Council shall be referred to the Emir for ratification.
2. If the Emir declines to approve the draft law, he shall return it, together with the reasons for such rejection, to the Council within three months of the date of referral.
3. In the event that a draft law is returned to the Council within the period specified in the preceding paragraph and the Council passes the same again with a two-thirds majority of all its members, the Emir shall ratify and promulgate it. The Emir may, in exceptional circumstances, order the suspension of such Law for the period that he deems necessary to serve the higher interests of the country. If, however, the draft law is not passed by a two-thirds majority, it shall not be reconsidered within the same session.
The general draft budget shall be submitted to the Shura Council at least two months from the start of the fiscal year, and the draft budget shall not come into force except by Council approval.
The Shura Council may, with the approval of the government, make amendments to the draft budget, and in the event that the draft budget is not passed before the start of the fiscal year, the previous budget continues to be effective until the new budget is passed.
The Law shall define the method of preparing the budget and shall specify the fiscal year.
The Shura Council shall have the right to forward proposals relative to public matters to the government. If the government is unable to comply with such aspirations, it must give its reasons to the Council. The Council may comment only once on the government’s statement.
Every member of the Shura Council may address a point of clarification to the Prime Minister and to any of the ministers pertaining to matters within their jurisdiction; only the person who raised the question has the right to comment once on the response.
Every member of the Shura Council may address an interpellation to ministers on matters within their jurisdiction. An interpellation may not be made unless it is agreed on by one-third of the members of the Council. Such an interpellation may not be discussed until at least ten days from the date of submission, save in urgent circumstances and provided the minister agrees to the reduction of this period.
Every minister is responsible to the Shura Council for the performance of his ministry, and a minister may not be subjected to a vote of confidence save after an interpellation addressed to him. The vote of confidence shall be discussed if the minister so desires, or upon a request signed by fifteen members. The Council may not issue a resolution in this respect until at least ten days from the date of the submission of the request or expression of desire and a motion of no confidence in the minister shall be passed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Council. The minister shall be deemed to have relinquished his office as of the date of the no-confidence resolution.
A Minister of the Council shall in no circumstances be held blamable for opinions or statements he makes in respect of matters within the jurisdiction of the Council.
1. Except when a member of the Shura Council is found in flagrante delicto, a member shall not be arrested, detained, searched or subjected to investigation without the prior permission of the Council. Where the Council has not issued a resolution on the request for such permission within one month from the receipt of the said request, permission shall be deemed to have been given. The permission shall be issued by the Speaker of the Council when the latter is not in session.
2. In a case of in flagrante delicto, the Council must be notified of the measures taken against the offending member, and where the Council is not in session, such notification should be made at the first subsequent session.
Members of the Council shall not be permitted to assume roles within public office save in exceptional cases where permissible under the Constitution.
The members of the Shura Council shall aim to conduct themselves in such a way as to serve the interests of the country and shall not in any way use their official positions to further their own interests or those of their acquaintances. The Law shall determine any proscribed activities for members of the Shura Council.
The Speaker of the Council, his Deputy and the members shall be remunerated as determined by law. Such remuneration shall be due as of the date of taking the oath before the Council.