Prime Minister and Minister of Interior His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani chaired the regular meeting that the Council held today, May 19, 2021.

During the meeting, the Cabinet listened to the explanation provided by His Excellency the Minister of Public Health on the latest developments and developments to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.

Moreover, the Council affirmed the continuation of work with the measures taken and precautionary measures taken in order to combat this epidemic.

The Council of Ministers then considered the topics on the agendas which went as follows.

Firstly, a draft law was approved to issue a law on the Shura Council Election System and to refer it to the Shura Council.

The preparation of this draft law comes within the framework of the state completing the constitutional requirements for the election of members of the Shura Council.

The draft law has been prepared under the supervision of the Supreme Committee to prepare for the Shura Council elections, headed by His Excellency the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior, pursuant to the provisions of Emiri Decree No. (47) of 2019 establishing and forming the Supreme Committee to prepare for the Shura Council elections and define its terms of reference.

The provisions of the draft law came in accordance with the provisions of the permanent constitution of the State of Qatar, by promulgating the election system by law, specifying the conditions and procedures for nomination and election.

بيان مجلس الوزراء اليوم الأربعاء الموافق ل 19 مايو 2021 . #قنا https://t.co/8dyWTBmqVThttps://t.co/HpIVuiYeIo pic.twitter.com/Fn8UOja7W5

— وكالة الأنباء القطرية (@QatarNewsAgency) May 19, 2021

The draft law included the following provisions:

Conditions that must be met by voters and candidates for membership in the Shura Council, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and the legal rules of a constitutional nature.

Allowing workers in government agencies to nominate themselves for membership in the Shura Council while preserving their jobs, promotions, and seniority throughout the term of membership, as well as allowing employees of all military agencies, both military and civilians, to vote, in order to expand the base of popular participation.

Facilitating the process of registration in the voters' lists, including the possibility of applying for registration electronically.

Organizing the process of objection and grievance against registration in voters' lists and judicial appeals against decisions of the committees of voters and candidates.

Laying down controls regarding electoral advertising, including setting a maximum of two million riyals for the candidate's spending on electoral advertising, with the candidate's spending of this amount and its sources of funding subject to oversight.

To oblige the competent municipalities to equalize the candidates in the places where advertisements or electoral statements are placed, and to allocate equal spaces for the candidates.

Imposing obligations on candidates when conducting election campaigning, including respecting the provisions of the constitution, preserving national unity and maintaining the security of society, and not including electoral campaigning means calling for any tribal or sectarian tendency, or what conflicts with public morals, prevailing traditions, or religious and social values To society, offending the other candidate or others, or stirring up tribal or sectarian strife among citizens in any way.

Requiring public and private media to observe equality in media treatment among all candidates, and to observe objectivity and impartiality in dealing with and media coverage of the elections in general, in accordance with recognized professional principles.

Banning the candidacy of ministers, members of the judiciary, and members of all military agencies from among the military, and members of the Central Municipal Council.

Allow everyone with an interest to challenge the candidates.

Ensuring judicial supervision of elections, through a committee to oversee the voting and counting process and announce the results, headed by a judge chosen by the Supreme Judicial Council.

Guaranteeing the right of candidates and their agents to follow the electoral process, attend the counting process, and announce the result.

Attribution of the election challenge to the Court of Cassation and putting in place severe penalties for electoral crimes, especially in the event that one of the candidates receives support from a foreign person or a foreign entity.

Putting in place severe penalties to guarantee freedom of voting and combating vote-buying or compromising the integrity of the elections.

Secondly, take the necessary measures to issue a draft law issuing the law establishing the Investment and Trade Court.

The draft law has been prepared within the framework of the initiative to develop justice systems and create an attractive environment for investment in line with other steps taken by the state in this regard.

the cabinet had approved the requirements for establishing the court, including allocating an independent headquarters and a special budget for the court, appointing a specialized judicial team and providing a functional staff trained for the court.

Thirdly, the council had approved a draft law on the regulation of parking lots and referred it to the Shura Council. 

The draft law defines public parking as the places specified by the competent municipality, within the planning areas, in coordination with the concerned authorities, for the parking of vehicles.

This will include spaces such as open or covered land, inside a building, beside the road, or on the right of the road with the competent municipality supervising their organization.

In the case of private parking, it has been defined as spaces owned by individuals or entities to be used as car parks under a prior license from the competent municipality.

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Source: QNA