Qatari citizens voted in the country's first-ever Shura Council elections yesterday, with 63.5 percent of eligible voters casting ballots.

In a press conference yesterday, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for the Shura Council Elections Major General Majid Ibrahim Al Khulaifi had revealed all 30 winning candidates.

The statement of the Ministry of Interior regarding the results of the first Shura Council Elections. The Ministry congratulates the candidates who won the elections and wish them all success. #MoIQatar #ShuraCouncilElections #انتخابات_مجلس_الشوري pic.twitter.com/o8u9snw367

— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) October 2, 2021

With regards to the elections, the Ministry of Interior stated, “In realization of the vision of Amir H H Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, as announced in his speech at the opening of the 49th session of the Shura Council last year, the first legislative elections to pick the members of the elected Shura Council took place today, Saturday, October 2, 2021, under the direct supervision of H E the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. These elections will strengthen the rule of law and institutions of the country.”

"The Ministry of Interior commends the high patriotic spirit that prevailed on polling day and the efforts made by all national entities and cadres for their effective contribution in organising this national prerogative under constitutional and legal guarantees within a neutral and responsible environment," the Ministry added.

As voting took place from 8 am till 6 pm, the participation of a larger number of women voters was also witnessed during the polling day.

Because the candidate for Constituency No. 5 was running unopposed, voting took place at 29 polling locations out of a total of 30.

After counting ballots in the presence of representatives of contesting candidates in all constituencies, 30 successful candidates were revealed in a preliminary result last night out of 234 contestants vying for the 30 seats.

Voters began arriving at polling sites as early as 8 am to participate in a well-organized, secure, and speedy voting process. The voting process was quick and easy, lasting only a few minutes from voter verification to ballot paper collection and voting.

To ensure a smooth election process, security officials from the Ministry of Interior and volunteers from the Qatar Red Crescent Society were deployed in sufficient numbers. The polling took place in two large halls for men and women.

Following election rules, voters first demonstrated their green status on the Ehteraz app at the polling station entry, then proceeded to verification, where they were given a slip to obtain their ballot paper from another counter.

Dedicated voting booths were set up for voters to discreetly cast their ballots. Candidates have their own room where they can sit and watch the voting process.

To maintain transparency, the election officer phoned candidates to check that the ballot boxes were empty before beginning the voting process and then sealed them in front of them.

--

Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content.

Instagram - @qatarliving

Twitter - @qatarliving

Facebook - Qatar Living

YouTube - qatarlivingofficial

Cover Image, Inline Image Credit & Source: The Peninsula