Huge number of voters for Shura election

Muscat: The number of voters registered for the upcoming Majlis Al Shura election has soared, the Ministry of Interior has announced.

There were only 611,906 voters in the 2015 Shura election but to date, the number for the 2019 vote stands at 713,335.

Among voters, 375,801 are males and 337,534 are females. Electors are choosing from 767 candidates who are vying for 85 seats in the Majlis Al Shura, according to the Ministry of Interior.

The ministry called on all citizens who have not yet registered to submit their applications through the offices of walis or the election website (elections.om).

Applicants must ensure that their identity cards are supported by the Electronic Authentication System (PKI), the ministry said.

The Shura Council election is scheduled to take place in October.

This year, there are 43 female candidates and 724 male candidates contending seats, according to statistics issued by the Ministry of Interior.

The 767 candidates include 32 who have Ph.Ds., 92 with MA degrees, 249 have BA degrees, 74 have higher diplomas, and 321 have general education diplomas.

The Shura Council comprises of 85 elected members representing all the Wilayats of the Sultanate. The members of the Council are elected for a four-year tenure.

The number of the members representing a Wilayat depends on the density of population.

A Wilayat whose population is less than 30,000 on the date of the opening of the candidacy of the Shura Council hopeful has one member, while Wilayats whose population exceeds that is represented by two according to the election regulations of the Shura Council.