Qataris decide whether to end limited voting for legislative seats in shadow of US election

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Qatar opened a threat canvass Tuesday to determine whether to extremity its constricted voting for legislative seats, a measurement apt to walk and extremity its short-lived research successful electing members of nan country’s advisory Shura Council.

Voting began arsenic nan world's attraction focused connected nan U.S. statesmanlike election, pinch moreover Qatar’s state-funded outer news web Al Jazeera offering little acknowledgments of nan ballot wedged betwixt sum of nan U.S. and nan Mideast wars. Though Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, announced past period a ballot would return place, it was only Sunday that authorities announced nan day of nan poll.

Voting will tally until 7 p.m. (1600 GMT) and results are expected connected Wednesday. All Qatari labor successful nan state besides were granted support to time off activity opening from 11 a.m. to vote.

Qatar's authorities news agency described nan voting arsenic “an enthusiastic ambiance and a historical moment, intelligibly confirming everyone’s keenness to make this nationalist ceremony a success.”

The ballot will “strengthen nan societal cloth successful nan astir beautiful image and form, which honestly represents an important shape successful nan country’s victorious march and its nationalist unity,” nan news agency added.

Qatar first introduced plans for legislative elections successful its 2003 constitution, but authorities many times postponed implementing nan vote. The state yet held elections for two-thirds of nan Shura Council, which drafts laws, approves authorities budgets and advises nan ruler, successful October 2021.

The elections came aft nan extremity of a boycott of Qatar by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and nan United Arab Emirates that tore nan Gulf Arab states apart. It besides came astir a twelvemonth up of Qatar hosting nan 2022 FIFA World Cup, an arena that drew aggravated scrutiny from nan West of nan country's curen of overseas laborers and its strategy of governance.

Qatar remains an important federation to nan West arsenic it hosted nan Taliban and assisted successful the chaotic 2021 NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan and arsenic a mediator arsenic nan Israel-Hamas warfare rages successful nan Gaza Strip and has expanded to Lebanon.

But nan predetermination created problems successful nan energy-rich nation. Electoral rule distinguishes betwixt calved and naturalized Qatari citizens and bars nan second from electoral participation. Human Rights Watch described nan strategy arsenic “discriminatory,” excluding thousands of Qataris from moving aliases voting. The disqualifications sparked insignificant protests that led to respective arrests.

In announcing nan ballot connected changing nan constitution, Sheikh Tamim said: “The title betwixt candidates for rank successful nan Shura Council took spot wrong families and tribes, and location are different views regarding nan repercussions of specified title connected our norms, traditions, arsenic good arsenic nan accepted societal institutions and their cohesion.”

“The title assumes an identity-based characteristic that we are not equipped to handle, pinch imaginable complications complete clip that we would alternatively avoid," he added.

The ballot marks yet different rollback successful nan hereditarily ruled Gulf Arab states of halting steps to clasp representational norm pursuing efforts by nan United States to push harder for antiauthoritarian reforms successful nan Middle East aft nan Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Hopes for populist successful nan region besides roseate successful nan aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring.

In May, the ruler of oil-rich Kuwait dissolved his country’s parliament for arsenic overmuch arsenic 4 years. While nan Kuwaiti parliament had struggled, it represented nan Gulf Arab state’s astir free-wheeling legislative assemblage and could situation nan country’s rulers.