Voters in Oman to get official leave on Shura election day

Muscat: Everyone who casts a vote on election day will be entitled to official leave, the Ministry of Interior has announced.

The elections, for the Shura Council of the ninth period, are to be held on Sunday 27 October.

The ministry said in a statement online: “Every voter who casts his or her vote on the day of voting shall be entitled to official leave.”

“The voter can obtain a certificate of leave on the day after the election, October 28, through the elections app (Al-Shura Elections 2019) or the election website (elections.om),” the Ministry added. The number of voters registered for the upcoming Majlis Al Shura election stands at 713,335, up from the 611,906 voters in Shura elections term in 2015.

Among voters, 375,801 are males and 337,534 are females. This year, there are 43 female candidates and 724 male candidates vying for 85 seats in the Shura Council, according to the Ministry of Interior.

The 767 candidates of this year’s Shura Council term include 32 who have Ph.Ds, 92 with MA degrees, 249 with BA degrees, 74 have higher diplomas, and 321 have general education diplomas.

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

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 of each Wilayat.

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