[Oman-L] Majlis elections (2 articles)

[Joachim Duester]

Another historic day to see Oman vote    
Source: Oman Daily Observer, 27 October 2007

The stage is set for another historic ballot as tens
of thousands of Omanis head for voting centres around
the Sultanate today to elect their choice of
representatives to the 6th Majlis Ash'shura. Voter
turnout is expected to be healthy given the
appreciably higher numbers of Omanis who registered to
exercise their franchise in the 2007 ballot. Voting
takes place from 7am through 7pm with polling staff
manning all 102 voting centres set up by the Majlis
Ash’shura Main Elections Committee and the Ministry of
Interior around the Sultanate.

Around 400,000 user-friendly, yet tamper-proof
ballots, specially designed to enable a high-speed
vote count, have been despatched to the voting centres
ahead of today’s ballot. A final tally of votes from
each wilayat is expected just after midnight tonight,
although a consolidated picture will be available only
tomorrow, it is learnt. Significantly, technology is
set to play a key part in ensuring a smooth,
transparent and speedy outcome to today’s balloting
process. Election officials have reported a 60 per
cent increase in the number of registered voters for
today’s ballot in comparison with corresponding
figures for the 2003 elections.

This increase is attributed to the opportunity given
to Omani men and women to register at the Interior
Ministry departments, Wali offices or enrolling online
through the Internet. The number of contestants too
has risen significantly this year. A total of 632
candidates, including 21 women, are contesting the 6th
term polls. This represents a 25 per cent increase
over the 2003 tally of 506 candidates (including 15
women). The number of voting centres has also jumped
from 95 in 2003 to 102 this year. Meanwhile, the
Ministry of Interior has issued various guidelines to
be followed during the elections by voters and all
others involved. These guidelines are aimed at seeing
that the polling procedure moves on smoothly and in a
very well organised manner.

At the request of the Interior Ministry, leading Omani
IT services provider Bahwan IT has assembled a
high-end package of specialist software and hardware,
complete with logistics and training, thereby creating
an IT-enabled environment for the 6th Majlis
elections. "Right from voter registration to the vote
counting process, this is essentially an IT driven
exercise. Just as we did in the 2003 elections, we are
happy to have once again worked closely with the
Interior Ministry and the Election Preparatory
Committee in the crystallisation of this electoral
process," commented M K Janaki Raman, General Manager,
Bahwan IT.

The company has been contracted for the second
successive Majlis elections to provide the complete IT
platform for this year’s polls, covering voter
registration, balloting, and vote sorting and
counting. It has teamed up with UK based Data Research
and Services Ltd (DRS), which specialises in providing
IT services for elections, censuses, and educational
projects, as its technology partners. Through its
partnership with DRS, Bahwan IT has supplied 76
sophisticated vote-sorting machines for the elections.
These will cover the needs of vote counting centres
set up at each of the country's 61 wilayats, according
to Ramakrishna Sathyagopal, Bahwan IT's project
manager for the election process.


Online monitoring will enable polling official to
monitor the progress of balloting around the country.

"These are high-end machines capable of sorting and
counting 8,000 pages or ballots per hour. Each machine
also has a dual display function that allows, for
example, candidates and their supporters sitting in an
adjoining room, to monitor the vote count in real
time. The data can also be made instantly available to
the Interior Ministry and to media centres established
around the country," he said. As part of its contract,
Bahwan IT has supplied around 1,000 indelible ink pens
that will be used by polling staff to place a mark on
the forefinger of those who have cast their ballots.

Ballot papers have been printed with a similar degree
of security associated with the printing of currency
notes. Ballot sheets feature unique barcodes with
secret check digits and other secretly placed
characteristics that make them tamper-proof, says
Sathyagopal. As with the 2003 elections, this year's
ballots too will feature the colour photographs of the
contestants with a box that allows voters to place a
‘tick’ mark against their choice of candidate. "A lot
of countries have learnt from Oman's experience in the
use of colour photographs for easy identification and
quicker choice-making," he explains.

Bahwan IT is also deploying 150 of its staff, trained
in all aspects of the IT platform created for the 2007
Majlis elections, to provide IT related support
services in the wilayats. A dozen ‘flying squads’ have
been set up and positioned at strategic locations
around the country, ready to tackle any hardware or
software glitch on election day. The company has also
trained around 130 Omani staff of the Ministry of
Interior and other polling personnel, in the operation
of the vote sorting machines and related IT equipment.

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Omanis prepare to vote for new consultative council   
Source: Agence France-Presse, 26 October 2007

Omani voters are to cast their ballots on Saturday to
elect a new consultative council after candidates were
allowed for the first time to campaign ahead of the
polls.

Top officials in Oman have vowed that "strict
transparency" will rule the second-ever public ballot
for the Majlis al-Shura, since the vote was given to
all citizens aged over 21 in 2003.

Only one in four of the population was allowed in 2003
to take part in electing members of the lower chamber,
which was founded in 1991 and serves as an advisory
body.

"The elections will proceed in full transparency.
Whoever attempts to breach the electoral law will be
severely punished," Interior Minister Saud bin Ibrahim
al-Busaidi has told reporters.

A total of 388,683 men and women over 21 years old are
registered to vote out of a population of around two
million, of which Omanis account for around 1.7
million. In 2003, registered voters accounted for
262,000, Busaidi said.

Electors will vote at 102 polling stations to choose
their 84 representatives from 732 candidates,
including 20 women.

The interior minister boasted the increase in the
number of potential voters reflects "a growing
interest among Omanis" in the advisory body, which has
the authority to question ministers over their
management.

But it can not interfere in issues related to
security, defence, or foreign affairs, and the council
does not have any legislative powers.

However, candidate Yunis bin Sabil al-Balushi, who
heads the economic commission in the outgoing council,
appeared content with the slow process of empowering
the council, saying that the country should not rush.

"With time, its perogatives will be widened and
reinforced," he said.

Allowing candidates to stage electoral campaigns and
meet with their electorate is the "principle
innovation this time," he said, pointing out that such
meetings are held in places of worship.

"Candidates can also set up electoral tents, but this
is very expensive," added the businessman.

Electoral banners with the names, portraits and
slogans of candidates have gone up in allocated
places. Each candidate has the right to put 10
billboards in his constituency.

Newspapers are also being used to mobilise voters, but
campaigning adverts should not exceed a quarter of a
page in size.

Many candidates are academics by profession and most
of them have studied in the West, but tribalism
remains decisive in Oman where family and tribal links
are a dominant factor in people's lives.

"Tribalism and nepotism come ahead of (serving) the
nation and competence," in the elections, wrote Saeed
al-Kathiri in a commentary in the local daily Oman
under the headline of "Tribalism and the Shura
council."

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