Muscat: The Ministry of Interior has launched an electronic public service codenamed "My Page" as part of its “Intikhab” app and the Shura Council's election website (elections.om).
The new service will enable candidates contesting the 10th Term elections to promote their electoral campaigns.
"My Page" service displays the candidates' personal data and allows them to publish their photos, videos and posts in accordance with approved electoral campaign regulations. The service will enable voters to view the list of candidates, follow up their updates, interact with them and comment on their content.
The launch of the new service provides a kind of transparency (allowing voters to get to know the candidates) and constitutes a step forward in digital practice that promotes Oman's status in ratings assessing progress in e-government, said Dr. Ali Amer Al Shadhani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications, Chairman of the Technical Committee for the Shura Council elections for the tenth term, in a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA).
Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Ma'amari, Director of the Electoral Register Project at the Ministry of Interior, told ONA that the Ministry of Interior takes steps to facilitate the participation of candidates and voters in Shura Council elections by launching such services. “My Page” enables candidates to engage better with voters, through electoral campaigns, while at the same time enabling voters to communicate with their candidates and learn about them, he added.
The launch of the service was attended by Eng. Khalid Hilal Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Chairman of the Elections' Main Committee, Sheikh Al Mokhtar Abdullah Al Harthy, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court, Head of the Elections Supreme Committee, Sayyid Khalifa Al Murdas Al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, and Mohammed Said Al Balushi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Chairman of the Media Committee.
The app's launch coincided with the ministry's participation in the activities of COMEX 2023 technology exhibition, currently held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (OCEC).