A bloodless coup in Qatar allowed Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to take the position of emir from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani. The move was recognized by the U.S. and the five other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
In Qatar municipal elections, women were enfranchised for the first time, participating as candidates and voters. A similar ruling passed by the emir of Kuwait was repealed later in the year by Parliament. Qatar and Oman remained the only Gulf States to uphold a woman's right to vote.
