| Post | Prime Minister |
|---|---|
| Body | the State of Qatar |
| Insigniacaption | Coat of arms of the State of Qatar |
| Incumbent | Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani |
| Incumbentsince | 7 March 2023 |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Residence | Green Palace |
| Seat | Amiri Diwan |
| Appointer | Emir of Qatar |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar |
| Formation | 29 May 1970 |
| Inaugural | Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani |
The Prime Minister of the State of Qatar (Arabic: رئیس الوزراء القطري) 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.[1]
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,[2][3] but in practice is more often characterized as an absolute monarchy[4][5] and autocracy.[6][7]
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.[8][9][10]
List of officeholders (1970–present)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani خليفة بن حمد آل ثاني (1932–2016) | 29 May 1970 | 27 June 1995 (Deposed in a coup) | 25 | |
| 2 | Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني (born 1952) | 27 June 1995 | 29 October 1996 | 1 | |
| 3 | Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani عبدالله بن خليفة آل ثاني (born 1958) | 29 October 1996 | 3 April 2007 | 10 | |
| 4 | Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani حمد بن جاسم بن جبر آل ثاني (born 1959) | 3 April 2007 | 26 June 2013 | 6 | |
| 5 | Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani عبد الله بن ناصر بن خليفة آل ثاني (born 1960) | 26 June 2013 | 28 January 2020 | 6 | |
| 6 | Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani خالد بن خليفة بن عبد العزيز آل ثاني (born 1968) | 28 January 2020 | 7 March 2023 | 3 | |
| 7 | Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani محمد بن عبدالرحمن بن جاسم آل ثاني (born 1980) | 7 March 2023 | Incumbent | 3 | |
See also
References
- ^ "Qatar's emir names top diplomat as premier, reappoints energy and finance ministers". Reuters. Archived 2023-11-20 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ BBC News, How democratic is the Middle East? Archived 11 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine, 9 September 2005.
- ^ United States Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011: Qatar Archived 26 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, 2011.
- ^ Gardener, David. "Qatar shows how to manage a modern monarchy". Financial Times. Archived 24 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ "Embassy of Canada to the State of Qatar". Government of Canada. Archived 25 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "BBC NEWS – Middle East – How democratic is the Middle East?". news.bbc.co.uk. Archived 11 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Documents". www.state.gov. Archived 26 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Qatar: Freedom in the World 2024 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ "Qatar". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ "Al Meezan - Qatary Legal Portal | | The Executive Power". www.almeezan.qa. Archived 2025-09-08 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-13.