DUBAI, 10 June 2005 — Qatar took its first step toward greater democracy yesterday, officially adopting a constitution that grants women equal rights and paves the way for the emirate’s first parliamentary elections.

Under the new constitution, the first since Qatar gained independence from Britain in 1971, power effectively remains with the emir, Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al Thani, but citizens get a greater say in how the country is run. Qatar says that the new charter draws on various sources, including Shariah.

The constitution “states that Shariah is one of the fundamental sources of the legislation, which means it is not the only one, according to Jamal Yahya, an Egyptian expert who helped formulate the charter.

“Qatar is an independent and sovereign Arab country,” the constitution states, adding that “Its religion is Islam and Shariah is the main source of legislation. Its regime is democratic and its official language is Arabic.”

The charter sanctions the establishment of a 45-member legislature, with 30 members directly elected by the people and 15 appointed by the emir. It also reforms the judicial system by scrapping separate religious and civil courts, and gives men and women equal rights under the law.

As a next step, officials in Qatar have started setting up committees to prepare an elections law and mark out electoral districts and constituencies throughout the nation.

Although no date has been set for national parliamentary elections, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad ibn Jabir Al Thani has hinted they could take place in the first half of next year.

“Getting a constitution in place at this time brings to Qatar ingredients of a working democracy to be based on freedom of speech, the rule of law, and equality among all citizens of the nation regardless of race, color, origin, or sex,” according to Sayyed Jad, a member of Qatar’s Human Rights Committee.

“Qatari women will enjoy all the political rights accorded to Qatari men, which distinguishes Qatar from a number of other states in the Arab world that do not grant women those rights,” he said.

Qatar has a total population of about 800,000, out of which only 200,000 are citizens. The rest are expatriate workers.

The country is among the richest in the world, with proven reserves of natural gas exceeding 14 trillion cubic meters, more than 5 percent of the world total and third largest reserve in the world.