Qatar sets Oct. 2 for first legislative elections

Qatar’s first legislative polls for two-thirds of the advisory Shoura Council will be held on Oct. 2, according to a royal decree issued on Sunday, Reuters reported.

Qataris will elect 30 members of the 45-seat body while Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will continue to appoint the remaining 15 members.

The council will have legislative authority and approve general state policies and the budget.

It will also exercise control over the executive, except for bodies setting defense, security, economic and investment policy.

The October polls have sparked some debate on electoral inclusion after some members of a tribe found themselves ineligible to vote under a law restricting voting to Qataris whose family was present in Qatar before 1930.

The electoral law, based on a constitution approved in a 2003 referendum, could be reviewed by a new Shoura Council.