Muscat: There was an unprecedented rush to vote in the Majlis Shura elections yesterday in Oman, so much so that some people who hadn't registered also turned up to exercise their franchise. The registered voters were happy that the facilities were excellent while some of those who didn't complete [registering] had to go back without voting.
"There have been glitches as some people haven't registered their ID card, some have forgotten to register as voters or in some cases there are scratches on the chip of the ID card which is not readable," Saeed Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Bu Saidi, Undersecretary at the Interior Ministry, who had come to vote at Jaber Bin Zaid School, told Gulf News.
He pointed out that all efforts were made to make sure that every eligible voter gets to vote. "We have units here to complete the formalities of registering ID cards or if damaged ID cards could be made working," he said, adding that some were too late to register.
He said the elections process was going on smoothly and there were no chaos or crowding at any polling centres. "There's enough room, so many booths [around 10 at one centre] and we are optimistic that 70 per cent of the registered voters will vote," he stressed.
The small glitch of unreadable ID cards didn't create any problems as polling officers were courteous and guided voters properly. Some were given solutions and some regretfully had to be sent back without voting. All the eligible voters were first required to vote and then get their identity cards embedded with polling registration as fingerprints were used to identify a voter instead of the old style of putting an ink mark on the finger.
New method
A private sector marketing employee found the new method of finger printing for polling proof much better than the old method of inking fingers.
"No messy ink on the fingers and it is so fast and smooth," Mazin Al Sayegh told Gulf News. He said that the shifting of the Muttrah polling centre from crowded Ruwi area to newly built Jaber Bin Said School was also a boon.
"There is so much open space and ample parking," he said, adding that last time some voters in Ruwi went back without voting due to heavy traffic.
"This time the arrangements for voting were also excellent," he said, adding that all the improvements were positive. And he hopes the same can be said of the elected representatives.
"The protests showed what Omanis need and the elected members must now work to get all that for the citizens," he said.
