A referendum took place in

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

on 5 November 2024 regarding the new revisions to the 2004 constitution. Some of the changes include strengthening the role of the

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

and abolishment of the elections to the Consultative Assembly with its members being appointed instead. The referendum results will be legally binding.

Background

The first direct election for two-thirds of the Consultative Assembly took place in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. On 15 October 2024, Emir

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (; born 3 June 1980) is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013. Tamim is the fourth son of former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nasser, Moza bint Nassir. He became heir ...

announced plans for a referendum on whether to abolish direct elections to the Consultative Assembly and revert to an appointive system, saying that the election had affected relations within families and tribes and that it had assumed "an identity-based character that we are not equipped to handle, with potential complications over time that we would rather avoid".

Results

On 6 November, the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...

announced that the referendum passed with 90.6% in favour. Turnout was at 84%.

Aftermath

Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said that the results of the referendum showed that "Qataris have celebrated ... the values of unity and justice".

References

{{Qatari elections

Constitutional referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or advis ...

Qatari constitutional referendum Referendums in Qatar Constitution of Qatar Constitutional referendums Election and referendum articles with incomplete results