US embassy cable - 05DOHA1898

UNCLAS DOHA 001898 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI SHAWN THORNE AND SUSAN RADDANT 
ABU DHABI FOR MEPI OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, QA 
SUBJECT: PREPARATIONS BEGIN FOR LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS 
 
1. (U) The GOQ appears to have launched preparations for Qatar's 
legislative elections expected in early 2007. The First Deputy 
Premier and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor 
Al Thani, said that "Preparations are currently under way to hold 
the first-ever parliamentary poll in the history of Qatar" during 
his opening remarks at forum for NATO and Middle East 
parliamentarians in Doha on November 26. He noted that universal 
suffrage is a key element of the Qatari constitution and 
elections will be free and fair with women having full political 
rights. He said Qatar was committed to transforming itself into a 
modern state on the basis of the constitution and the rule of 
law. The plan was "indigenous" and also "visualized by the Amir." 
The Foreign Minister said Qatar has increased people's 
participation in decision-making and in the building up of 
constitutional institutions since the Amir took power in 1995. 
 
Permanent Elections Committee 
----------------------------- 
 
2. (U) A half-page advertisement in Doha's Arabic papers on 
November 24 publicized the new logo of the Permanent Elections 
Committee, the quasi-governmental body charged with developing 
Qataris' election- and campaign-related skills. The PEC was 
established in 2003 under the Supreme Council for Family Affairs 
which is chaired by Sheikha Mozzah bint Nasser al Misnad, wife of 
the Qatari Amir. (The new logo is in the shape of a sprout, the 
blue and green colors signifying justice and truth of electoral 
choice.) 
 
3. (U) An article appeared the same day repeating the story of 
the new logo and announcing a discussion session for women 
scheduled for November 27 (see following paragraph). Discussion 
sessions will follow the same week for students at Qatar 
University; these sessions will be presented by Dr. Ali al-Sawi, 
Director of the Parliamentary Program Center at Cairo University. 
 
Discussion Session for Women 
---------------------------- 
 
4. (U) On November 27, the Permanent Elections Committee held a 
discussion session for women entitled "How to Participate in the 
Forthcoming Elections." Approximately 40 Qatari women attended 
the session. Discussion centered on the challenges of combining 
the duties associated with being mothers and housewives with 
those of political participation. Many participants concurred 
that men should also be targeted for similar workshops and 
awareness campaigns. They observed that Qatari men need intensive 
civic education not only to learn about the political process 
itself but also to legitimate women's participation in these 
events. The women highlighted some of the challenges facing 
female candidates, such as campaign financing, the lack of 
professional research centers to assist in designing campaign 
plans, and the lack of trust in women's capabilities based on 
cultural beliefs. Finally, many alluded to the failure of women 
candidates to win seats in contested elections for the Central 
Municipal Council elections of 1999 and 2003, which has cast a 
pall on their participation in future elections. (Note: A woman 
was elected to the Municipal Council in 2003 when her opponent 
was pressured to drop out.) The women admitted that the 
enthusiasm to run for office that existed in the previous 
elections has waned considerably. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
5. (SBU) It appears that the women's dialogue on election 
participation was attended mostly by those with close ties to the 
ruling elite. For real election awareness to take root, interest 
must spread to wider segments of society and will need to be 
reflected in the local media. 
UNTERMEYER