Gulf | Oman
Voter numbers swell ahead of Oman poll
There has been a significant increase in Omani citizens registering as voters for the country's second open elections to the Majlis Ashura (Advisory Council), according to Interior Minister Saeed Saud Bin Ebrahim Al Busaidy.
- By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:09 October 2, 2007
Muscat: There has been a significant increase in Omani citizens registering as voters for the country's second open elections to the Majlis Ashura (Advisory Council), according to Interior Minister Saeed Saud Bin Ebrahim Al Busaidy.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Omani Journalists Association on Monday night, the minister said: "There has been marked increase in voters' registration for this year's elections."
The second free and open elections in Oman for the sixth term of Shura will be held on October 27.
"At the time of closing the registration process, 388,683 Omani citizens have registered as voters, which is 50 per cent more than the number of voters registered for the Fifth term elections in 2003," Al Busaidy revealed. He hailed the remarkable level of awareness of citizens regarding the Shura process and the elections.
Awareness
"The increase in awareness has been gradual therefore we have certainly seen a remarkable increase in voters'' registration this time," Younis Bin Sabeel Bin Eisa Al Balushi, who is seeking election for the third time, told Gulf News yesterday. He said that around 9,000 eligible voters had registered to vote in the last election from Muttrah constituency, but this time, Al Balushi added, "over 12,000 have come forward and shown interest in participating in the Shura process."
Confident
However, he agreed that this figure constitute almost half of the eligible voters in his constituency. "It is a gradual process and people are realising the importance of Shura and its role. "A lot of people now contemplate on what they would lose if they stay away from Shura and its elections and that is a positive sign," he feels. "As we progress more and more people would come forward and take part in elections in future," he said optimistically.
Aziza Bint Salim Al Habsi, a woman candidate from Seeb area in Muscat, told Gulf News yesterday that only about 50 per cent of the eligible voters had registered to vote for the October 27 elections.
"This is my first time but I am campaigning well," said Aziza, who is expecting her baby any time now. "I am doing fine with my pregnancy as well the hectic campaign, everything is progressing well," she said, adding with a chuckle that Omani women can do everything in any condition. "Nearly 52 per cent of Oman's population is over the age of 21," a spokesperson for the Muscat-based United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) told Gulf News yesterday.
According to the 2003 Census, the number of Omani citizens was 1,781,558. Those in army and police services are not eligible to register as voters, so even if a conservative estimate is taken nearly 850,000 Omanis are eligible to register as voters out of which, 388,683 have already expressed willingness to exercise their franchise.
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