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CENTRAL MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Introduction
The first municipal council in Qatar was formed in the early 1950s and it was reorganized in 1956. Doha municipality came into being in May 1963. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs was established in 1972 as a government body responsible for supervising the functions of municipalities.
Decree No 4 for 1963 organized, for the first time, the election and appointment of the members of the municipal council. Law No 11for 1963 followed. It stipulated that the municipal council is formed by a decree and that the appointment of the members is based on the nomination of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture. The first joint meeting of municipal councils in the country was held in 1983. Most of the credit goes to this meeting in deciding to form a central municipal council to replace the numerous municipal councils.
The Central Municipal Council
The idea to form the municipal council by direct elections  was revived when H.H. the Emir of Qatar issued the Law No 12 for 1998 organizing the election law of the
Central Municipal Council. H.H. also issued the Emiri Decree No 17 for 1998 on the election of the members of the Central Municipal Council. Several committees were subsequently formed. They include the legal, security, and information, technical, supply, and follow up committees. A preparatory committee was also formed under the patronage of Her Highness the wife of H.H. the Emir to carry out an awareness program for women, emphasizing the importance of their participation in the elections both as candidates and voters.
248 candidates including 6 women contested the 4-year term of 29 seats. Polling date was set for Monday the 8th of March 1999, and 21,995 eligible males and females registered to cast their votes in their respective constituencies.
The election experience was very well received publicly and officially and the response was overwhelming by all sectors of Qatari society, males and females alike. The participation of women as voters and candidates invited a wide-range and favorable echo, locally and internationally. 35 Arab and foreign parliamentarians were hosted to oversee the conduct of the first elections in the country.
The Qatari democratic practice exceeded the surrounding countries' experiences in four aspects: voting age was lowered to 18, which expands the scope of participation in the democratic process, the Qatari media was utilized in an unprecedented manner in the Gulf region by giving live coverage of the debates and discussions between candidates and voters, women were allowed to participate as voters and candidates for the first time and a headquarters was provided in each constituency, where the 29 members of the Council can hold discussions and meetings with their electorates.
Voting Regulations
The Emiri Decree No 17 for 1998 specified the regulations governing the elections of the members of the Central Municipal Council. All Qatari males and females that fulfill the following conditions have the right to cast their votes:
- They must be of Qatari origin, or have been naturalized citizens for a period of at least 15 years.
- They must be at least 18 years of age.
- They must not be indicted on a criminal charge of breach of trust or honesty. Otherwise they must have been rehabilitated.
- The constituency must be the real place of residence for respective voters.
- They must not be members of the armed forces or security forces.
The Council is formed of 29 members representing constituencies spreading over 230 regions in the State of Qatar. The membership term in the Council is 4 years.
The Council Sessions
On the 4th of May 1999 H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the  Emir of the State of Qatar issued a decree inviting the Central Municipal Council to hold its first meeting in full attendance to elect the Council's Chairman and Deputy Chairman from among its members by secret ballot.
H.H Heir Apparent inaugurating the first session of the elected Central Municipal Council
H.H. Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Heir Apparent inaugurated the first session of the Central Municipal Council on the 15th of May 1999. The Council holds its ordinary meetings in Doha and in public once every two weeks. Extraordinary meetings must be requested by one third of the members. The meetings are considered regular only where the quorum of two thirds of the members is available. The maximum period for which a meeting can be put off for lack of quorum is three days, after which the meeting can be held with the attendance of one third of the members.
Work Mechanism of the Council:
The Council issues its resolutions by plurality of
votes. Under the supervision of the Chairman, the
Council forms a Secretariat General and appoint a
Secretary General. The job of the Secretary General is
to prepare the meetings' agenda and submit thereof to
the Chairman, record the minutes of the meetings and the
Council's recommendations and submit, to the Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, those parts of the
recommendations that call for his or any higher
authority's action.
The
Council's Authorities:
 The Central Municipal Council is an independent entity.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture has no
authority over its functions. It is totally free to
practice its responsibilities without any interference
from the Ministry. The roles of the Ministry and the
Council complement each other. The role of the Council
is still one of advisory and monitoring. The Council has
the right to discuss all matters and problems, and its
agenda is not confined to what is raised by the
Ministry. The Ministry approves the recommendations of
the Council, whose members decide their own work program
and budget without external interference.
Both the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture
and the Central Municipal Council coordinate their
efforts to reach the common goal of serving the country
and the citizens. The Minister of Municipal Affairs and
Agriculture explains the different points of view to the
Council through a specialized committee. In case the
difference in opinion persists, subjects of discord,
accompanied by the two different viewpoints, are raised
to the Council of Ministers for consideration.
The 29 members of the Council focus their attention on
providing the compelling needs of the society and
securing the basic services with a view to rationalize
spending. They do that through a well-defined plan and
good coordination of time, effort and resources, and
through giving priority to projects like road building,
sanitary drainage, parks and recreation sites.
The Second
Municipal Council Elections
The Ministry of Interior announced yesterday, the 7th of
April 2003, the final results of the elections of the
second Central Municipal Council in which 25 members out
of 88 candidates won and 4 members including a woman
were elected unopposed. Nearly 40% of the total voters
of 21024 exercised their franchise.
Members of The Second Municipal Council Elections:
-Chairman: Ibrahim Al-Haydoos.
-Vice-Chairman: Isa Al-Kowari.
1. Al Jasrah: Ahmed Ibrahim Hamad al-Humaidi
2. Al-Doha Al-Jadeeda : Jassem Abdullah Jassem al-Malki
3. Al Markhiya: Ibrahim Abdullah al-Ibrahim,
4. North Khalifa Town: Abdullah Saleh al-Sheikh al-Kuwari,
5.South Khalifa Town: Eissa Khalifa Omran al-Baker al-Kuwari,
6. Bin Omran: Khalid Jabor Sulthan Tawar al-Kuwari,
7. Al-Salatha Al-Jadeeda: Ali Ahmed Saleh al-Kholiefy,
8. Al Hilal: Ibrahim Abdurahman Mahmoud Ahmad al-Haydous,
9. Airport: Sheikha Yousef Hassan al-Jufairi,
10. Wakra: Hassan Abbas Hassan Abdurahim,
11. Mesaieed: Mohamed Hamad Mohamed Meyan al-Shawi,
12. Abu Hamour: Khalid Mohamed Mubarak al-Ali al-Madeed.
13. New Ghanem: Mohamed Khalid Abdulazeez Alghanem al-Madeed,
14. Al Murra: Mohamed Saieed Burman,
15. Meizer: Dafi Rashid Hassan al-Aradi al-Merri,
16. Merrikh: Saleh Mohamed Mubarak Saeed al-Nabit,
17. North Maizer: Saud Abdullah Hamad Henzab al-Azbeh,
18. New Rayyan: Mohamed Humoud al-Shafi,
19. Old Rayyan: Faraj Saeed Semeikh Breik al-Awair,
20. Nassariya: Mohamed Saleh Rashed al-Khiyareen al-Hajari,
21. Gharafa: Nasser Salman Nasser al-Dossary,
22. Umm Salal Ali: Ahmed Ibrahim Sulthan al-Sheeb,
23. Kheraitiyat: Fawwaz Eid Dagash Ramal al-Shammari,
24. Shahaniya: Shahir Saud Shahir al-Shammari,
25. Dukhan: Mohamed Rashid Umair al-Efeisha al-Shahwani
26. Al Khor: Rashid Jassem Darwish al-Meriekhy al-Mohannadi,
27. Dhakhira: Ali Hassan Juma al-Hassan al-Mohannadi,
28. Shamal Town: Saad Ali Hassan al-Naoimy
29. Ghuwairiya: Nassir Abdullah Saeed Al-Kaabi
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