Editing Politics of Qatar (section)

==Executive branch==
Qatar is ruled by the [[House of Thani]] as a [[semi-constitutional monarchy|semi-constitutional]] [[hereditary monarchy]]. The [[head of state]] and [[Executive (government)|chief executive]] is the [[Emir of Qatar|emir]]. There is a [[Prime Minister of Qatar|prime minister]] (who serves as the [[head of government]]) and a [[Cabinet of Qatar|cabinet]] appointed by the emir. Under the Constitution, the partially-elected [[Consultative Assembly of Qatar|Consultative Assembly]] can block legislation with a simple majority vote, and can dismiss ministers with a two-thirds vote. Two-thirds of the members are popularly elected, and the remainder are appointed by the emir.<ref name="WaPo election">{{cite news |last1=Thafer |first1=Dania |title=Qatar's first elected parliament may have more power than other Persian Gulf legislatures. Here's why. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/14/qatars-first-elected-parliament-may-have-more-power-than-other-persian-gulf-legislatures-heres-why/ |access-date=2 April 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=14 October 2021}}</ref>

Politically, Qatar is evolving from a traditional society into a modern [[welfare state]]. Government departments have been established to meet the requirements of social and economic progress. The Basic Law of Qatar 1970 institutionalized local customs rooted in Qatar's conservative [[Islamic]] heritage, granting the Emir preeminent power. The Emir's role is influenced by continuing traditions of consultation, rule by consensus, and the citizen's right to appeal personally to the Emir. The Emir, while directly accountable to no one, cannot violate the Sharia (Islamic law) and, in practice, must consider the opinions of leading notables and the religious establishment. Their position was institutionalized in the Advisory Council, an appointed body that assists the Emir in formulating policy.

In February 1972, the heir apparent and Prime Minister, Sheikh [[Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani]], deposed his cousin, [[Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani|Emir Ahmad]], and assumed power. This move was supported by the key members of Al Thani and took place without violence or signs of political unrest,

On 27 June 1995, the heir apparent, Sheikh [[Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani]], deposed his father, Emir Khalifa, in another bloodless coup.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cockburn|first1=Patrick|title=Emir of Qatar deposed by his son|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/emir-of-qatar-deposed-by-his-son-1588698.html|website=The Independent|date=27 June 1995 |access-date=22 April 2015}}</ref> Emir Hamad and his father reconciled in 1996. Increased freedom of the press followed, and the Qatar-based [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] television channel (founded late 1996) is widely regarded as an example of an uncensored source of [[news]] in [[Arab]] countries. However, the network has been met with negative responses by the governments of many Arab states.<ref name="abdelmoula">{{cite book|last=Abdelmoula|first=Ezzeddine|title=Al Jazeera and Democratization: The Rise of the Arab Public Sphere|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vP7qBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA81|publisher=Routledge|year=2015|page=81|quote="While ordinary Arabs and intellectuals received Al Jazeera as 'a gift', since it provided them with access to uncensored news broadcasts in Arabic [...] the governments in most Arab countries reacted with visible hostility"|isbn=978-1138855472}}</ref> However in May 2022, Al Jazeera network won the award for the best human rights journalism of the year in the eighth annual [[Amnesty International UK Media Awards|Amnesty Media Awards]]. The network was also claimed to be non-biased network by [[The Week]] (Washington DC media house) in November 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 Sep 2022 |title=Al Jazeera wins Amnesty International Canada Award |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/21/al-jazeera-wins-amnesty-international-canada-award |website=Al Jazeera}}</ref>

On 25 June 2013, [[Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani]] became the Emir of Qatar after his father Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani handed over power in a televised speech.<ref name="New Emir BBC">{{cite news|title=Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad hands power to son Tamim|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23026870|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=BBC|date=25 June 2013}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Main office-holders
!Office
!Name
!Since
|-
|[[Emir of Qatar|Emir]]
|[[Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani]]
|25 June 2013
|-
|[[Prime Minister of Qatar|Prime Minister]]
|[[Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani]]
|7 March 2023
|}