The Prime Minister of the State of Qatar () is the head of government of Qatar, and technically the second most powerful official in the country after the Emir, who in practice holds all power and authority.
Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar since the coup d'état of 1972, was the first holder of this position from its establishment in 1970. He served as prime minister until the coup of June 1995, when he was deposed by his son Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
In March 2023, emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani replaced Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani with his minister of foreign affairs, current prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Constitutional role and authority The Prime Minister of Qatar holds the position of head of government, and is technically the second most powerful official in the country after the Emir, in a form of government which is officially a constitutional monarchy,BBC News, How democratic is the Middle East? , 9 September 2005.United States Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011: Qatar , 2011. but in practice is more often characterized as an absolute monarchy and autocracy.
The prime minister's authority is entirely derivative of the Emir's power. Analysts consistently note that the Emir holds the power to appoint, dismiss, and accept the resignation of the Prime Minister and all ministers, with the emir maintaining ultimate executive and legislative authority, and the prime minister acting as a supervisor and operational manager implementing the emir's vision.
List of officeholders (1970–present) Portrait Name Term of office Cabinet Took office Left office Time in office 1 Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani 29 May 1970 27 June 1995 1st2nd3rd 2 Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani 27 June 1995 29 October 1996 4th 3 Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani 29 October 1996 3 April 2007 5th 4 Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani 3 April 2007 26 June 2013 6th7th 5 Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani 26 June 2013 28 January 2020 8th 6 Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani 28 January 2020 7 March 2023 7 Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani 7 March 2023 Incumbent
Timeline
See also Politics of Qatar Emir of Qatar Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar
References