The word shura (an Arabic word meaning ‘consultation’) is an important principle of the Islamic political institution. It is used as a political and social means of making decisions after consultation and debate among Muslims in a community. An Islamic state is supposed to give its members a consultative or advisory role in political issues and social affairs. In other words, shura is “a collective product generated from thought, experience, knowledge, and continuous research”.1 Hence, the Saudi Shura Council was established in 1924 by King Abdulaziz, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as a symbol of the unity of the newly-founded kingdom and the founder’s desire to allow Saudi citizens to participate in the process of decision-making.
The Shura Council has passed through different phases until reaching
1 The Shura Council in Saudi Arabia: Parliamentary Practice, 2004.
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its current form. However, its development can be summarized in six stages.2
Stage One: the National Council, 1924
The irst elected council was founded in Mecca in 1924. It was given the title of the Consultative National Council, and was made up of 12 members.
It played a major role in drafting the basic laws for the administration of the country. However, it only lasted for six months. The council was dissolved in an attempt to widen the scope of participation in order to build the newly-founded country.
Stage Two: the Consultative National Council, 1925
In 1925, the circle of participation was expanded. King Abdulaziz ordered the formation of a new council comprised of six elected members representing all of the 12 districts in Mecca, two religious scholars, one representative of businessmen in Mecca, and three members who were appointed by King Abdulaziz. The council was better organized than the previous one in terms of structure; it had a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and 12 members. The council’s jurisdiction included regulating courts, municipalities, endowments, education, security, and commerce.
Six articles governed the formation of the council, i.e., membership quali ication, and its voting system. One should take into account the council’s combination of election and nomination.
Stage Three: the National Council, 1926
In this period, after security was restored in Hijaz,3 King Abdul Aziz formed advisory boards in Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Yanbu and Taif.
Mecca’s board consisted of ten members and the head was appointed by the government, Medina’s board consisted of six members in addition to the director, and each of the advisory boards of Taif, Yanbu and Jeddah consisted of four members in addition to the director. Out of these advisory boards, a national consultative council was formed which was entitled Majlis Ash-Shura. It included 12 members representing Mecca, Medina,
2 Shura Council: Historical Background, a publication of the Shura Council, 2008.
3 The western region of Saudi Arabia which has the two Holy Mosques.
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Jeddah, Yanbu and Taif. It also included representatives of tribes.4 Also, the country’s new law included items regulating the Shura system (items 28, 29, 30, 31, 36, and 37). They discussed membership requirements, the council’s location and duration, the selection process, etc. The council was better organized than the previous ones, and it continued its work until it was dissolved a few months later.
Stage Four: Majlis Ash-Shura, 1927
The council for this year consisted of eight members serving two-year terms, four of whom were elected by the government after consultation with eminent experts, while the other four members were appointed simply by the government. King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saudinaugurated the council’s irst session on 17 July 1927, which is considered the actual founding date of Majlis Ash-Shura. The council’s jurisdiction included:
budgets of government agencies, issuance of economic and contraction businesses’ licenses, approval of inancial and economic projects, etc. The council’s role was to ensure the execution of laws and rules by government agencies. If the council and the government had con licting opinions, the King was given the right to the inal decision. Two committees were established during this period to handle inancial and managerial affairs.
Stage Five: Majlis Ash-Shura, 1928
Some amendments were made to the council’s governing law. The number of members was increased from eight to 12. The council’s vice-president was to be appointed by the King, while a second vice-president was to be elected by the council.
In the same year, an appendix was developed and issued as a set of internal by-laws for Majlis Ash-Shura. The council exercised a wide jurisdiction until the founding of the Council of Ministers in 1953, when many of the functions of Majlis Ash-Shura were distributed between the Council of Ministers and other apparatuses of government. However, Majlis Ash-Shura continued to hold sessions and to look into issues referred to it, albeit at a reduced level of power.
4 Abdurahamn Alzahrani, Shura Council in Saudi Arabia, 2002, pp. 20-21.
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Stage Six: the modern Majlis Ash-Shura
In 1992, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the late King Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz, introduced three major laws: the Basic Law of Governance, the Provincial Councils’ Law and the Majlis Ash-Shura Law. The council’s frameworks, methods and means were reorganized. This started a new page in the long history of Majlis Ash-Shura in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1994, the King launched the irst term of the council with a speaker and 60 members. In the second term, the council consisted of a speaker and 90 members. In the third term, it included a speaker and 120 members. In the fourth term, the council consisted of a speaker and 150 members, representing people of knowledge, experience, and competence. It consists of 13 committees.
The Shura Council expresses its opinion on the State’s general policies.
Under the Shura Council law, article 15, the Council shall speci ically have the right to do the following:
Give its view on the Kingdom’s general policies.
Discuss the general plan for economic and social development, and give views.
Revise laws and regulations, international treaties and agreements, concessions, and provide whatever suggestions it deems appropriate.
Discuss government agencies’ annual reports, attaching new proposals when deemed appropriate.5
Request the accountability of ministers. A minister shall have the right to participate in the deliberation but not the right to vote.6
Have the jurisdiction to propose a draft of a new law or an amendment to an enacted law, and study them within the council.7
5 Shura Council Law, Royal Decree No. A/91, 1 March 1992, published in Umm-al-Qura Gazette, No. 3397, 5 March 1992.
6 Article 22, Shura Council Law.
7 Article 23, Shura Council Law.
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