| Parliament name |
Majles |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Majles A'Shura / Consultative Council |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Majles Addawla / State Council
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
27 October 2007 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the Consultative Council on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The elections to the Consultative Council in October 2007 were the second to be open to all citizens aged over 21 years old. Prior to 2002
only one in four citizens (selected by community and tribal leaders) were able to vote. The number of citizens who registered to elect the 84 members (up from 83) of the Consultative Council was almost three times higher in 2007 than the previous elections in 2003.
The Consultative Council was established in 1991 to advise the government on economic and social matters. Three years later
Oman became the first Gulf State to give women the right to vote and run for public office.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said
who acceded to power on 23 July 1970
is the de facto prime minister
and also controls foreign affairs and defence. The Sultan reshuffled his cabinet six weeks before the elections and appointed Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Isaee as the new Speaker (Chairman) of the Consultative Council.
The 2007 elections were contested by 632 candidates
including 21 women (up from 15 in the 2003 elections). Public campaigning was allowed for the first time
and candidates' pictures and programmes could be found on billboards around the country. Since political parties are banned in Oman
all candidates ran as independents. Each candidate focused on local issues and called on voters' support based on their background and experience.
In all
62.7 per cent of the 388
683 registered electors turned out for the polls.
Thirty-eight candidates retained their seats while 46 were elected for the first time. Interior Minister Sayyid Saud bin Ibrahim Al Busaidi announced that most winners had strong tribal connections or were well-known businessmen. No women were elected for the first time in 13 years.
On 4 November
Sultan Qaboos bin Said issued a Royal Decree appointing 70 members (up from 59) to the State Council
the upper chamber of parliament. They included 14 women (up from nine)
including one who had not been re-elected to the Consultative Council.
On 6 November
the Sultan inaugurated the newly elected Consultative Council and the State Council. On the following day
the Consultative Council held its first session
which was chaired by Speaker Sheikh Al Isa'ee. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 27 October 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
338'683
62.7%
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
84
0
0.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Unknown
|
26
36
15
3
4
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Source: Consultative Council (24.02.2008)
Distribution of seats according to political group: Not applicable. There are no political parties in Oman.
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
