Oman: Shura Council Elections and Aspirations for Change
Sep 18, 2007
Carnegie Endowment, Arab Reform Bulletin by Rafiah al-Talei - On October 27, Omanis will elect representatives to their 85-member lower house of parliament, the Shura Council, for four year terms beginning in 2008.
Some analysts consider the Council, established in 1991, to be the most advanced in the Gulf region apart from Kuwait's, and see it as part of a gradual move toward democracy and wider popular participation. For example, Oman enfranchised women as voters and candidates in 1994, well before Kuwait. But a closer look reveals that in the past sixteen years the Council has achieved little and failed to meet Omanis’ aspirations. The Shura Council has remained advisory and has not evolved into a legislative body and partner to the government, as Omani officials often claim.
To read the full article, please follow the related link: