Omani Shoura council elections today
Oman, Politics, 10/4/2003

Without TV and radio programs and banners which urge citizens to practice their rights to vote, the visitor of Oman, would not have felt that a workshop has started since almost 6 months in preparation for the Sultanate to enter a new phase of the parliamentary representation epoch under the title "the fifth phase of the Shoura council elections," to be held today.

Today's elections are characterized from their previous ones to that persons eligible to voting start from 21 years old while it used to be in the past confined to certain group of people ( 25% ) usually intellectuals and social figures.

However; discussed estimates say that the number of persons eligible for voting increased to 800,000 citizens ( out of the country's population of 2 million ), of whom 262,000 applied for voting cards. These include 95,000 women. The law according to which the elections are being held today, allow woman equal rights to man in voting and to become a candidate.

The number of candidates which started at 700 decreased gradually with the withdrawal of several candidates until the number reached 506 including 15 women competing over 83 seats, according to an election system that allow the state whose population is over 30,000 to be represented by two members, while the state whose population is less than 30,000 is represented by one member.

The election ballots are numbering 95 centers distributed on 59 states at an average of one to four centers in each state, according to its size, and geography.

Worthy mentioning that the Shoura council in Oman which is formed by elections composed altogether with the state council, whose members are appointed by Sultan Qaboos bin Said from former ministers and senior state officials and military men. The council, however, assumes studying laws and decrees before submitting them to the Sultan or to the government. The Shoura council has also the right to question ministers in session broadcast live by TV about their performance in their ministries. It usually discusses social and economic issues of concern to citizens.

Previous Stories:
  Citizens and women called to participate in Majlis A'Shura elections    (10/3/2003)
  Oman speaks about judicial independence, reform of United Nations   (10/3/2003)
  Majlis A'shura elections preperations done   (9/27/2003)

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