Municipal Council Elections in Oman, 2016

In: Contemporary review of the Middle East, Volume 4, Issue 4, p. 385-390

Abstract

The 2016 Omani Municipal Council election was held in the backdrop of the economic problems facing the Gulf States due to the decline in international oil prices. Hence, the cut in social security and continued concerns over economy were major issues. This was partly responsible for a low turnout, though a free and fair election was an important takeaway. In comparison to the previous municipal council election, more female candidates were elected and joined the council in 2016. Whereas various encouraging developments can be assuaged including the evolution of the electoral process, growing participation of women, and use of new state-of-the-art technology, the pace of democratization remains painfully slow.