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Qatar Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Qatar
Official Name: State of Qatar
Capital: Doha
Area: 11,000 square kilometres ( 4,247 square miles )
Major cities (Population): Doha 293,000 (1990)
Population: 551,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 2.5 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Type of government: Traditional monarchy
Independence: 3 September 1971 (from the United Kingdom)
Constitution: Provisional constitution adopted 2 April 1970
Voting Rights: None
Government
Qatar is an absolute monarchy. Under the terms of a 1970 provisional constitution, executive power rests with the Council of Ministers. The council is appointed by the head of state, the emir, who is also the prime minister. A consultative council assists the emir in the legislative function. Although the constitution calls for a portion of the members of this council to be elected, elections have not yet been held. There are no political parties, despite the constitution’s guarantee of democratic rights to all citizens.
Recent History
In June 1995, Emir Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani was ousted by his son, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in a bloodless palace coup. Hamad was recognized as Qatar’s leader by countries on the Persian Gulf and by several other governments soon after taking power. Internally, the cabinet, consultative council, and the armed forces all pledged allegiance to the new emir at the time of the coup.
Qatar has had a long-standing issue with Bahrain regarding the Œawar Islands. Relations between the two countries showed signs of improvement in early 1997, although the issue still remained unresolved.
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