Qatar to hold first ever parliamentary election in 2013

 Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Doha (dpa) - Qatar will hold its first elections for its consultative parliament, or Shura council in 2013, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani announced Tuesday, after years of postponements.

   Under a new constitution approved in 2004, two thirds of Shura Council members are to be elected, with the remaining one third appointed by the emir. The election was however postponed several times.

   "We implemented the Constitution and achieved most of the targets specified within it like the establishment of a Constitutional Court and holding the municipal council elections,” Sheikh Hamad said on Tuesday.

   "I, therefore, announce from this podium that the election to the Advisory Council will be held in the second half of 2013," he told the existing council.

   According to the constitution, the new Shura Council would approve - but not draft - the national budget, monitor the performance of ministers and draft legislation. A two-thirds majority vote and the emir's endorsement would be needed to pass legislation.

   According to the International Monetary Fund, Qatar is expected to see a 5 per cent economic growth rate in 2011 and about 4 per cent in 2012, driven by natural gas and oil exports.

   The emir said gross domestic product GDP growth in 2010 reached 16.6 per cent, making the small Gulf state one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

   Qatar, a close ally of the United States, is one of the highest per capital income countries.

   "While the face of our Arab world changes, we should not just congratulate ourselves on our achievements, but we have to make sure that our vision fits with the aspirations of our peoples," Sheikh Hamad said.

   Qatar has supported the Arab Spring uprisings, and was the first Arab country to back up Libyan rebels fighting slain leader Moamer Gaddafi.

   The demonstrations, which began this year, had already forced the Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan strongmen out of power.

   Qatar owns the Arabic television network Al Jazeera, which has focused intensely on covering uprisings in the Arab world. It was established in 1996 and is a leading regional media outlet.

   It will also host the 2022 football World Cup.