[Oman-L] Voters cast ballots at Oman's embassies

[Joachim Duester]

Voters cast ballots at Oman's embassies   
Source: Oman Daily Observer, 21 October 2007

The Interior Ministry announced that the election
centres it has established at the Sultanate’s
embassies abroad yesterday received voters who cast
their ballots to elect their representatives for
Majlis Ash'shura Sixth Term (2008-2011). An official
at the Interior Ministry told Oman News Agency that
eleven election centres at the Sultanate’s embassies
in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi
and Sultanate’s consulate in Dubai), Qatar, Kuwait,
Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Yemen and Malaysia
received voters who cast their ballots since early
morning yesterday.

The official said the electoral process at these
centres went well and as planned under the supervision
of special committees from the Sultanate’s embassies
in these countries. The lists will then be sent over
to the Sultanate where the Majlis elections will be
held on October 27 in all wilayats, the official said.
The chairman and members of the Main Elections
Committee and heads of sub committees cast their
ballots at the Ministry of Interior here yesterday to
nominate their representatives for Majlis Ash’shura
membership.

The Main Committee convened yesterday under the
chairmanship of Sayyid Mohammed bin Sultan al-Busaidy,
Interior Ministry Under-Secretary. The meeting, held
at the Ministry, was aimed to follow up the electoral
process at the Sultanate’s embassies as well as to
finalise preparations for the forthcoming elections in
the wilayats. The committee will be on a continuous
meeting until the domestic elections date (October 27)
to discuss all matters related to the elections. The
designated election centres in the wilayat have been
prepared to receive the voters.

The Interior Ministry earlier announced that as many
as 632 candidates from the Sultanate’s 61 wilayats
would contest the Majlis elections to win 84 seats in
its board. Twenty-three wilayats have the right to
have two members in Majlis Ash’shura, while 38
wilayats will have one member. The number of election
centres reached 102 including 11 in Muscat
Governorate, 29 in the Al Batinah region, 7 in
Musandam Governorate, 4 in the Al Buraimi Governorate,
6 in the Al Dhahirah region, 11 in the Dakhiliyah
region, 17 in the Sharqiyah region, 4 in the Al Wusta
region and 13 centres in the Governorate of Dhofar.