Qataris votes to end limited polls for legislative seats in shadow of US election
Qatar has voted to end its limited elections for legislative seats
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Qatar voted Tuesday to end its limited elections for legislative seats, passing a measure to end the country's short-lived experiment in electing members of the advisory Shura Council.
Voting took place as the world's attention focused on the U.S. presidential election, with even Qatar’s state-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera offering brief acknowledgments of the vote wedged between coverage of the U.S. election and the Mideast wars. Though Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, announced last month a vote would take place, it was only Sunday that authorities announced the date of the poll.
Qatar's Interior Ministry reported the results early Wednesday, saying 89% of voters backed the constitutional amendment in a yes-no ballot, with 9.2% voting no and 1.8% of votes being declared invalid. It offered no immediate vote count total in the autocratic nation.
Voting ran for 12 hours and ended at 7 p.m. local time. All Qatari employees in the country were also granted permission to leave work from 11 a.m. to vote.
