QNA
Doha
Deputy Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) HE Dr Mohammad bin Saif Al Kuwari called on citizens to play their role in the electoral process of the 7th Central Municipal Council (CMC) elections 2023. The Qatari legislation and international covenants recognize the right to vote and stand for election as a right for every citizen, male or female, without discrimination, in order to participate in managing the public affairs of the state, he noted.
Dr Al Kuwari stressed the importance of the participation of Qatari women to emphasize their role in society and guarantee women’s rights in practice, in addition to the necessity of youth participation as the makers of the future.
This came during the second meeting held on Monday by the NHRC’s Visits and Monitoring Committee, headed by Dr Al Kuwari, to review the monitoring of the 7th Central Municipal Council (CMC) elections 2023, to ensure free and fair elections that conform to national and international human rights standards.
The challenges faced by the members and employees of NHRC during monitoring the previous elections were discussed, as the Visits and Monitoring Committee reviewed the report of the 2019 Municipal Elections Monitoring Committee. The meeting also considered organization of two seminars – one for youths and women, and another for candidates of the CMC elections.
Dr Al Kuwari said that the Visits and Monitoring Committee, which includes members and employees of the NHRC, will conduct field visits to electoral headquarters to monitor the conditions of the rights of candidates and voters in order to enhance the responsibility of the authorities concerned with protecting human rights and freedoms.
Al Kuwari explained that the NHRC aims to monitor the extent to which international standards and procedures for elections are applied, in relation to the human rights in candidacy and election, and in line with the declared goals of the State of Qatar in its determination to move forward on the path of democracy in a gradual and careful manner.
Al Kuwari stated that the NHRC’s proactive participation in the polling process include organising awareness sessions on human rights and freedoms, and on the monitoring standards required to observe elections in accordance with the Qatari constitution and human rights charters.
Dr Al Kuwari added, "Through the electoral process, we hope to move forward on the same approach in which the previous Central Municipal Council session took place, with more professionalism. The committee team noticed that sufficient electoral committees were designed to accommodate all voters in each electoral district and the headquarters of the electoral commissions are free of any propaganda materials, which conforms to national, regional and international standards. Arrangements have been made to facilitate the voting process for the elderly and allow the NHRC observers to freely monitor the voting process within the electoral commissions.”