Drop in Shura candidates no sign of waning interest in Oman

Fuente: 
Times of Oman
Fecha de publicación: 
24 Jul 2015

A sharp decrease in the number of candidates vying for the Majlis Al Shura is not an indication that people are losing interest in Oman’s political system, according to experts.

There are 674 candidates on the final list for this year’s elections, according to the Ministry of Interior — 40 per cent fewer than the 1,113 candidates who stood for election in 2011.

While this may seem like a sign people don’t care about the elections, this is actually a return to normal after a politically-charged year in 2011, says Ahmed Al Mukhaini, a lawyer and political analyst. In 2007 there were 631 candidates.

“If you look at the previous elections they are at the same rate. 2011 was an exception years. It was a year of political activity and people realised the role of Majlis Al Shura and they realised it can be a channel for social mobility,” Al Mukhaini told Times of Oman.

In 2011, a year which saw protests in Sohar and other places around the country, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said extended the application period for Majlis Al Shura candidates. Providing more opportunity to run in the Majlis Al Shura elections was a way to diminish the conflict and defuse the anger, explained Al Mukhaini.

“After the 2011 events, His Majesty opened the candidacy again. That’s why you have double the number,” he said.

This year 857 nationals applied as candidates, 21 women among them, for the 85 seats. Of those who initially applied 174 did not meet the criteria, withdrew their applications, or died, leaving a final list of 674 candidates, according to the Ministry of Interior.

“We know there was a lot of controversy about this, but I talked to someone from the State Council and they said there was a lot of misunderstanding around this issue. It was not necessarily related to political issues but technicalities,” explained Dr Leon Goldsmith, Professor of Political Science at SQU.

The Basis Statute of Oman states that the candidate must be an Omani national by origin, at least 30 years of age, have completed high school, not have a criminal record, not affiliated to a security or military authority, not interdicted by a judicial judgment and not suffering from a mental illness.

“It’s the same in any country. Candidates are vetted according to their application or if they haven’t paid the fees or they have a conflict of interest. We shouldn’t read too much into that at this stage,” Goldsmith added.

He said some potential candidates may not run because if they win, they would have to resign from their government or private sector jobs so they could be available for the sessions and to consult with their constituents for the four-year term.

Tawfiq Al Lawati, a member of the Majlis Al Shura for Muttrah, said the decrease in number of candidates doesn’t reflect a waning interest since there are still many candidates in each wilayat and there will be competition for the seats.

“Even in some small wilayats where there are only 100 voters or 300 voters, you would see there are five or 10 candidates,” he said.

Al Lawati attributes the lower number of candidates to the fact that people who may have considered running in the elections took more time to reflect on what it takes to win and thought carefully about whether they should go through the process or not, whereas in 2011 there were more people making impulsive decisions.

“I think people have become more realistic about their chances and that it takes effort,” he said.

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