Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia

The Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia (Maǧlis aš-Šūrā s-Saʿūdiyy), also known as Majlis ash-Shura or Shura Council, is the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia. It is a deliberative assembly that advises the King on issues that are important to Saudi Arabia. It has the power to propose laws to the King of Saudi Arabia and his cabinet to prove it and pass it. It has 150 members, all appointed by the king and chosen "from amongst scholars, those of knowledge, expertise and specialists". Since 2013, the Assembly has included 30 female members out of the total of 150 members, after a 20 percent minimum quota for women was imposed. The Consultative Assembly is headed by a Speaker. , the Speaker was Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh, in line with a tradition that kept the post in that family. The Assembly is based in al-Yamamah Palace, Riyadh. The Consultative Assembly is permitted to propose draft laws and forward them to the king, but only the King has the power to pass or enforce them. However, the mandate of Majlis Al-Shura was broadened in 2004 to include proposing new legislation and amending existing laws without prior submission to the King. The Assembly has the power to interpret laws, as well as examine annual reports referred to it by state ministries and agencies. It can also advise the king on policies that he submits to it, along with international treaties and economic plans. The Assembly is also authorized to review the country's annual budget, and call in ministers for questioning. The influence of the Assembly in its present form comes from its responsibility for the kingdom's five-year development plans, from which the annual budgets are derived, its ability to summon government officials for questioning, and its role as policy debate forum. The first Majlis ash-Shura (Consultative Assembly) was founded by King Abdulaziz on 13 January 1926. It was first named the Shura Council of the Hijaz and chaired by his son, King Faisal. However, the complete institutionalization of the assembly was finalized in 1932.