Country preparations for the elections of the Central Municipal Council

Emad Mourad - Doha

Hajar Mohammed was keen to come to her electoral committee to register her name in the voters lists in preparation for the elections of the Central Municipal Council in Qatar in its sixth session, which is scheduled for this year.

Hagar did not rely on the technology provided by the Ministry of the Interior to register voters, wishing to run the election experience starting from the registration stage. The 19-year-old immigrant, who was not allowed to vote before, did not reach the legal age, prompting her to come to her electoral committee On the first day of registration.

The Ministry of the Interior of Qatar on Sunday afternoon set the first operational stages of the elections of the Central Municipal Council, where the headquarters of the 29 electoral districts in different regions of the country received requests for registration of voters who are eligible to vote, and also made their registration online through the service of "Matrash 2" Of the current month.

The voter registration step follows the stage of the amendment of the voter lists by deletion and addition, with the announcement of the initial voter lists on January 27, and then the stage of receiving appeals and appeals which ends at the end of the same month. , Until an Emiri decision is issued specifying the day of the voters' vote.

The elections of the Municipal Council are of great importance due to the great role played by the Council, which is to monitor the implementation of laws, decisions and regulations relating to the powers and competences of the Ministry and the Council, including laws and regulations relating to the organization of buildings and planning land, roads and shops.

Terms of reference
The Council is also competent to examine the wishes or proposals made by the members of the Council on any matter that is involved in the areas of municipal and agricultural affairs, in addition to considering and expressing opinions on issues and matters related to municipal affairs referred to the Council by the Ministry or other governmental bodies.

The Director of Election Administration and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee, Majid Ibrahim Al-Khulaifi, affirms that the executive committees and voter registration committees provide all services to citizens that facilitate the registration of their names since entering the headquarters of electoral districts. He pointed out that all the required technical equipment at this stage is complete and that the technological means at all locations Works very efficiently.

The voter, Yusuf Ahmed al-Mohammed, said he had come to register his name in the voter registration tables in order to participate in the elections, noting that the municipal elections reflect the spirit of democracy in Qatar.

Al-Mohammed added that the Qatari citizen has played a big role in the society. He pointed out that the registration procedures were carried out smoothly and naturally without any obstacles in light of the vital role played by the Ministry of Interior, represented by the supervisory committee on the elections.

The first elections for the members of the Central Municipal Council of Qatar were held by direct suffrage on 8 March 1999. The Council consists of 29 members representing 29 constituencies. The Council's session consists of four years beginning on the date of the first meeting.