Chairman of Central Municipal Council to QNA: Qatar Accelerates Towards Strengthening, Expanding Popular Participation

Doha, June 14 (QNA) - Chairman of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) Mohamed bin Hammoud Al Shafi affirmed that Qatar is accelerating toward strengthening democracy, especially with the presence of the Shura Council as another elected council, noting that the CMC elections fulfill aspirations to expand popular participation through candidates who meet the conditions, whether male or female.

In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Shafi added that the upraise in popular participation is an embodiment of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's vision towards a better tomorrow that Qatar and its people deserve, adding that the wise government strives to provide all guarantees for the success of the initiatives that achieve this vision.

The 7th CMC elections coincided with the 20th anniversary of the referendum on the constitution of Qatar, a good omen as it established the principle of democracy and popular participation with its organizational and institutional elements.

Citizens can exercise their role in popular participation from registering voters to voting day, he said.

CMC Chairman pointed out that the state's organization of the electoral process is carried out at the highest level and in accordance with the highest standards in terms of providing a modern database, registering voters, preparing voter lists in each constituency, eliminating those who do not meet the conditions of the voter, approving the voter lists, accompanied by effective performance and active monitoring, then receiving and examining the applications of the candidates, and allowing those who have reasons, whether the voter or the candidate, to challenge those who do not meet the requirements for candidacy until the lists of candidates are filtered.

All of this is accompanied by modern equipment to conduct the electoral process, such as equipping the headquarters with the necessary tools and papers, seeking the help of qualified employees who have previously been trained and qualified, ensuring transparency and applying all the controls established, a great effort made by the Elections Administration and the Ministry of Interior to ensure a smooth process and reassure the citizen's ability to exercise his national role, in addition to the participation of all state agencies in the success of this electoral election.

Al Shafi stressed the keenness for all state institutions to put CMC's proposals and recommendations into practice and to cooperate with the council to make its legally mandated role a success, within the framework of participation and cooperation.

He stressed that the council and the state institutions are united by one goal, which is to achieve the greatest amount of good and public good that benefits the country and the citizen.

Regarding the services provided by the Ministry of Municipality and its departments and their impact on the role of the Council, HE Mohamed Bin Hammoud Al Shafi explained that the ministry has an independent legal body and is considered, through its roles entrusted to it to oversight implemented laws, regulations and decisions related to the Ministry of Municipality and the municipalities.

Their departments are an internal oversight that does not conflict with the oversight of the council, but rather supports it through cooperation and implementation of its recommendations to reach the best level of municipal and agricultural work as sought by the council within the framework of the need for sustainable development to provide service in the municipal and agricultural fields.

Concerning the role of women in the previous sessions of the Council, their contributions to the success of its work, and their expectations of them in the next session, Al Shafi said that Qatari women participated very effectively in the CMC elections from the get-go by going to the voter registration committees and registering as voters and then as candidates.

Their participation was crowned with success, becoming a member of the Council from its second session until now.

They contributed, along with their male counterparts, to the success of the Council's work.

He pointed out that everyone witnessed the Qatari women's activity, vitality, and active participation in the Council's performance of its role assigned to it.

Qatari women have proven their ability to compete in representing citizens in municipal work.

Therefore, it is not surprising to expect women to win in the elections of the next (seventh) session.

He explained that this matter has become one of the postulates of municipal elections, hoping that it will continue because the advancement of the country requires the participation of all its members, men and women.

The CMC Chairman pointed out that the Council achieved many achievements in its previous session in terms of activating its role in oversight and providing opinion, advice, and useful proposals in all areas of its competence in municipal and agricultural affairs, noting that the executive authorities in the country were always on time and covenant, whether in the field of infrastructure, land, street, garden road, and transportation planning.

In this regard, the Council contributed to achieving a boom in the municipal and agricultural fields.

He referred to the Council's contribution and role in the success of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar by working to facilitate the lives of citizens in light of the infrastructure projects that affected all regions of Doha by saying that the organization of the World Cup, which was a pride for all, everyone to come together to appear in the best possible image.

The Council had an effective role with the executive authorities in achieving the wonderful image of all municipal services and agricultural growth through the recommendations and proposals that it presented was implemented by the Ministry of Municipality, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), and the relevant authorities, so that Qatar appears in its most wonderful and best image witnessed by it the whole world not only inside the areas of sporting events but in all the regions, streets, buildings and aesthetics of the country, without exception.

Those in charge of implementing all the work have the utmost appreciation for making us proud of our country for organizing this global event for the first time in the Arab region.

He added that the work of the Council has greatly developed throughout its previous sessions by preparing programs and workshops for the members of the Council in each session, qualifying the member to carry out his role efficiently and effectively, and strengthening the links of communication and cooperation with the relevant executive bodies of the state led by the Ministry of Municipality, Ashghal, and other bodies.

The General Secretariat of the Council was also developed and linked with all state agencies electronically to ease the interaction between employees, which reflected positively on their relationship with the members of the Council as well as citizens, constituting a great development that we seek to sustain in the future and provide all the resources to achieve the Council's objectives.

At the end of his interview, Chairman of CMC Mohamed bin Hammoud Al Shafi said that the CMC elections represent a democratic celebration.

He calls on his fellow candidates to adhere to the rules of the competition and investigate objectivity in their electoral campaign within the limits of the systems and rules that require laws and regulations to be observed to preserve society and to follow the instructions of the elections administration regarding the organization of the electoral process.

As for the voters, he thanks everyone for their keenness to register in the voter lists and invites them to participate in this democratic event and go to the ballot boxes because this is a national duty.

(QNA)