Qatari voters head to the polls today to elect their representatives in the Central Municipal Council in its sixth session according to the Amiri Decree No. 4 for 2019. In all, 85 candidates, including 5 women, are competing in 25 constituencies out of 29, after four districts have been elected by acclamation.
The Central Municipal Council keeps pace with the comprehensive development of the State of Qatar under the patronage and guidance of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and has been an active contributor to this process over the past years. The CMC enjoys full independency in carrying out its responsibilities as defined by the law, and has been able, over the last five sessions, to enrich the democratic experience and serve the society.
Qatar’s first Municipal Council was formed in the early 1950s. On March 8, 1999, free elections were held to choose the members of the CMC through direct representation. Both men and women participated in the elections.
The Council, which comprises 29 elected members representing 29 constituencies, is an independent entity that carries out its responsibilities without interference. CMC elections are held every four years. The Ministry of Interior began preparations in January for elections.
The CMC expresses its opinions through making recommendations and issuing decisions. It is responsible for monitoring the implementation of laws, decrees and regulations that fall under the responsibilities of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and the Council, including laws, decrees and regulations related to urban and industrial planning, infrastructure and other public system.
The Council is also responsible for overseeing the economic, financial and administrative management of municipal affairs and agriculture. Regular Council meetings with at least two thirds of its members are held in Doha every two weeks.
Over 20 years, the Council has contributed through its recommendations and proposals to the development process of the State, and has interacted with various subjects of interest to the citizens and residents within the framework of its competencies, and had a role in activating the decisions and laws at the level of municipal affairs, and submit proposals that all serve the public interest, the Chairman of the Central Municipal Council, Mohammed bin Hamoud Al Shafi, said ahead of the end of the fifth session of the CMC recently.
The fifth session held 68 meetings and issued more than 130 recommendations covering various municipal matters, such as increasing green spaces in different regions of the country, waste recycling, the establishment of public parks in some municipalities, bus stations and locations, and the establishment of wedding ceremony halls in a number of areas, the controls of workers’ gatherings in the midst of family housing, and the development of the system for monitoring the establishment and quality of government projects.
In light of the great development witnessed by Qatar in various fields, the CMC spares no effort to implement all that would serve the country and the citizen, in line with the directives of the wise leadership.