Oman’s Elections: Resounding Loss for Women...Change Exceeded 64%

A press conference held by the members of the Supreme Elections Committee in the Sultanate of Oman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A press conference held by the members of the Supreme Elections Committee in the Sultanate of Oman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Oman’s Elections: Resounding Loss for Women...Change Exceeded 64%

A press conference held by the members of the Supreme Elections Committee in the Sultanate of Oman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A press conference held by the members of the Supreme Elections Committee in the Sultanate of Oman (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Shura Council elections in the Sultanate of Oman witnessed a significant change in the representatives of the Council for the tenth term, while women suffered a resounding loss, as no female candidate was able to win membership in the 90-member Council.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Talal Al-Saadi, Secretary of the Electoral Commission, said that the voting turnout reached 65.88 percent and varied according to the governorates.

This is the second highest participation in elections in the Sultanate of Oman, after the Shura Council elections in 2011, which witnessed a record turnout of 76 percent.

The percentage of new deputies reached 64 percent, as 61 new candidates won in the elections. Al-Saadi said that the new council will elect a president and two deputies via internal electronic voting in November.

The members of the Council elected in the tenth session represent 63 states. 843 candidates, including 32 women, competed in these elections, according to the final lists of candidates. The total number of voters who registered for the elections reached 753,690 voters, of whom 496,279 male and female voters actually participated, a rate of 65.88 percent.

The voting took place without papers or boxes, using an updated version of an electronic platform, which was inaugurated for the first time in 2019.

The Oman Telecommunications Company confirmed that the protective systems are working with high efficiency and that no attempts at cyber-attacks have been recorded.

Sheikh Al-Mukhtar bin Abdullah Al-Harithi, Deputy President of the Supreme Court and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Electing Members of the Shura Council for the Tenth Term, said that no appeals had been registered in the elections, while complaints received were being investigated.

Although women constituted 48 percent of the total number of voters, no female candidate could win a seat in the council. The law in Oman has granted women the right to practice political work, since the elections of Council’s second term (1994-1997). Back then, two female candidates were elected, as in the elections that followed.

However, women’s chances did not improve. In the previous council, only two female candidates won the electoral race, while the previous council included only one woman.

The Omani Shura Council, which was established in 1991 as a substitute for a consultative council established in 1981, is elected for a four-year term and has the powers to review, propose and amend the state’s public and economic policies.

The council, however, does not interfere in matters related to defense, internal security, and foreign policy. The elected council, together with the appointed State Council, forms the “Council of Oman”.



Oman's Sultan to Meet Putin in Moscow on Monday

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said gives a speech after being sworn in before the royal family council in Muscat, Oman January 11, 2020. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani/File Photo
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said gives a speech after being sworn in before the royal family council in Muscat, Oman January 11, 2020. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani/File Photo
TT

Oman's Sultan to Meet Putin in Moscow on Monday

Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said gives a speech after being sworn in before the royal family council in Muscat, Oman January 11, 2020. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani/File Photo
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said gives a speech after being sworn in before the royal family council in Muscat, Oman January 11, 2020. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani/File Photo

Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said is set to visit Moscow on Monday, days after the start of a round of Muscat-mediated nuclear talks between the US and Iran.

The sultan will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, Reuters reported.

Iran and the US started a new round of nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday to resolve their decades-long standoff over Tehran's atomic aims, under the shadow of President Donald Trump's threat to unleash military action if diplomacy fails.

Ahead of Saturday's talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Following the meeting, Lavrov said Russia was "ready to assist, mediate and play any role that will be beneficial to Iran and the U.S.A."

The sultan's meetings in Moscow visit will focus on cooperation on regional and global issues, the Omani state news agency and the Kremlin said, without providing further detail.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss trade and economic ties, the Kremlin added.