By Brian Whitaker
"is widely seen as a milestone – and rightly so. It breaks the long-standing Arab tradition of leaders who cling to power until the drop, or are forcibly removed from office.
Sheikh Hamad came to power in 1995, removing his father in a
palace coup. His father was then 63.
Sheikh Hamad has decided to go a couple of of years earlier –
he is now 61 – by voluntarily handing over to his son, Sheikh
Tamim.
Sheikh Hamad's decision to step down has certainly set an
example, though it's probably one that other Arab rulers will choose not to
follow and Qatar still remains under autocratic rule.
Qataris have now begun pledging their allegiance to Sheikh
Tamim – not that they have much choice in the matter. Ordinary citizens still
have no say in choosing their leader and it appears that the country's first
elections for a consultative assembly (not a real parliament) which were due to
be held later this year have now been postponed as a result of the
transition."
No comments:
Post a Comment