Al-Ansari: The elections will be a bridge between the citizen and the state
Al-Mana: The Shura Council will enhance the community’s participation in the political process
Al-Qubaisi: Involving the people in making decisions and issuing laws is one of the most important advantages of the Council
Al-Hajri: The elected council will ease the burden on the state
Al-Marwani: The Shura Council elections are a continuation of several steps of reform

Candidates for the Qatari Shura Council elections considered it the first experiment of its kind, which will contribute to strengthening the system of good governance, through a legislative wing that monitors various government departments, and will be an example to follow in the Gulf region.

In separate statements to the Anatolia correspondent in Doha, candidates for the parliamentary elections, scheduled for next October 2, agreed that the elected Shura Council will strengthen, in its first legislative session, the principle of popular participation in decision-making.

Since September 15, two-week propaganda campaigns have been going on as part of the first parliamentary elections in the Gulf country.

The history of the Shura Council dates back to 1972, and its members were appointed, before Doha moved to elect them, as part of efforts by the country’s leadership to strengthen democracy by expanding popular participation in the political process.

284 candidates, including 28 women, are competing in 30 electoral districts to win 30 seats out of a total of 45, the rest of whom will be appointed by the Emir of the country.

** A bridge between the citizen and the state

The candidate for the Tenth District (New Doha), Nasser Hassan Faraj Al-Ansari, says that “the experiment will be pioneering through direct understanding between the wishes of the citizen and the government.”

Al-Ansari added, “The elected council will be a bridge between the citizen and the state, and many are counting on it to advance the current reality.”

He added, “Qatar is like a jewel that must be polished permanently so that its luster continues, and this requires continuous updating and the issuance of various legislations, so that there is a bid and complementary to the economic growth that the country has witnessed during the past twenty years.”

Al-Ansari pointed out that “all citizens, whether candidates or voters, are in a great social interaction, and we hope that there will be an appropriate choice so that (the MP) can present his expertise, whether in the public or private sector, to add legislation and laws.”

And he added, “The first council will be a pillar for the upcoming sessions.”

** A bold step to consolidate democracy

Muhammad Yousef Al-Manea, the candidate of the 13th constituency (Farij Al-Najada), considered that “the state’s first experience in conducting elections for a legislative authority that directly contributes to decision-making and enhances the participation of society through its representatives in the Shura Council with the government.”

Al-Manea explained that this experience will contribute to strengthening the system of good governance, through a legislative wing that monitors various government departments.

He described the trend, for the first time, towards holding the Shura Council elections as a “bold step”, which counts for the Emir of the country, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

He considered this step “important to enhance political participation in decision-making with citizens through elected members, and to consolidate the roots of the democratic experience that seems unique in the region.”

He pointed out that there was a great interaction from various segments of society since the first day of announcing the organization of the elections, until the date of the announcement of the final lists of candidates.

Al-Manea indicated this through the mass momentum witnessed by the various electoral districts, as well as the social media platforms, which reflected reactions that can be described as “distinguished” with the first democratic experience of this level.

He added, “According to the initial indicators of competition, the reactions so far are positive, and confirm that the experience, with everything in it, constitutes a historical event that generations will remember later, and the relevant authorities will work to study all the outcomes of this experiment.”

** Facilitate decision-making

While the candidate for the 15th constituency (Al-Wakrah in the south), Khaled Omran Al-Qubaisi, believes that “involving citizens more in decision-making and in the development, amendment and change of laws and legislation is a very important step, indicating the serious efforts of the leadership and the people together to achieve Qatar’s vision of openness and development of the state.”

Al-Qubaisi pointed out that “involving the people in (taking) decisions and (enacting) laws is one of the most important advantages of the council’s powers.

“We will see more laws that are in the interest of the citizen and meet his needs that were not always visible in the past,” he said.

He added that “the elections are an important step within the framework of our leaders’ endeavors to strengthen democracy, by expanding the people’s participation in the political process. It is also a step that strengthens the traditions of shura, and develops the legislative process with a broader participation of citizens.”

He explained that “the presence of the council will make it easier for the government to take the right decisions for the benefit of the citizen.”

Regarding the society’s interaction with the elections, Al Qubaisi said, “Because it is the first experience of its kind for the people, they follow it closely, and interact with the event greatly.”

He expected “a large turnout to vote, because in the end the people vote for their children and those they trust to make their voice heard.”

Regarding the repercussions of the elections on the Gulf region, Al-Qubaisi believes that “this step will affect the decisions of neighboring countries in activating the role of the shura councils, and expanding the participation of their people in decision-making, especially after the success of the experiment in our country.”

** Enhance government performance

The candidate for the 29th constituency (Al-Kharsa’a, Umm Swa and Al-Awniya), Muhammad Saeed Al-Hajri, said that the elected Shura Council in its first legislative session is “one of the positive steps aimed at strengthening the principle of national participation in decision-making.”

Al-Hajri added, “It also confirms that Qatar is following a well-studied, gradual legislative approach, which contributes to achieving its strategic vision 2030.”

In this context, he explains that “the Shura Council, since it came in accordance with Chapter Three of the Constitution as a legislative authority, one of its most important advantages is to reduce the burden on the state, especially in reviewing, enacting and amending legislation, and optimizing government performance.”

He stressed that “with this step, Qatar proves that democratic participation is a well-established principle and a fundamental foundation for justice and governance in the country, and that it is a state of institutions.”

Regarding the popular interaction with the elections, Al-Hajri said, “The Qataris are a conscious, open, educated society that interacts greatly with this stage, even before this stage, especially when it voted unanimously on the 2003 constitution, which was ratified in 2004.”

He pointed out to the Qatari society, “It is cohesive and loving its leadership and is closely aligned with it, and what we witnessed in the turnout at the stage of registering voters for the Shura Council confirms the positive interaction, and even gives prior indications of success.”

He considered the Shura Council elections “a pioneering experience in the region, and we are proud of it, and it will be an example to be followed.”

** Not a leap in the dark

Omar Abdulaziz Al-Marwani, the candidate from the seventh constituency (Al-Jasra), says that the Shura Council elections were based on the speech of Prince Tamim, at the beginning of the work of the 48th session of the Shura Council, “where he announced the completion of the constitutional requirements for the election of council members, and the exercise of its legislative powers under the constitution.”

Al-Marwani added, “With this decision, the required transformation occurred, as we are facing a constitutional legislative exercise based on an elected assembly.”

He considered that this step “is in line with the trends of openness and commitment to the state of institutions, law and institutional work, and this calculated openness raises the status of the state externally, and opens up areas of cooperation and exchange of experiences with countries that preceded us in this field.”

Al-Marwani said that the country has “high ratings in the areas of transparency, good governance, fighting corruption, financial crimes and compliance with the law worldwide.”

He continued, “These classifications were presented by institutions known for their efficiency and integrity, and there is no doubt that the experience of the elected Shura Council, in its constitutional and legal sense, will definitely enhance these classifications and raise the country’s standing in the international community.”

Al-Marwani explained, “Abiding by the law and exercising control over the administrative apparatus will lead to the development of performance, the improvement of work and besiege the failures.”

And he added, “This is what the leadership hopes for and has established many institutions for it, such as the Monitoring and Transparency Authority, the Audit Bureau and others, but all of this needs constitutional support to become a community issue protected by the law and the constitution, which enhances the results.”

Al-Marwani added, “Whoever observes the constitutional development in the country does not see that the experience is difficult or that it faces obstacles, but in fact that the state has turned these challenges into opportunities.”

Al-Marwani said, “The Shura Council elections, a continuation of a process of several steps of reform, preceded by the holding of the first elections for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1997, then the elections for the Municipal Council, which focused on services, had a major role in laying the initial building blocks for parliamentary action.”

He considered that “the future of the Shura Council experience is safe, because it is not a leap in the dark, but rather the product of a successful objective and societal development.”

He pointed out that there was a good interaction with the Shura Council elections, and despite the presence of limited unintended legal violations at the beginning by some candidates, as it was the first experience in the electoral campaigns, the process went at a good level after that.