Majlis al-Shura Elections in Oman,2015

Abstract

The 2015 Omani Shura Council elections came amidst a crucial time with down economic trend and continuing uncertainty over succession. Regular council elections are an important takeaway but declining interests among voters reflected in a sharp fall in turnout. In fact, the 2011 elections had recorded a high participation rate due to the Arab Spring. Issues such as corruption, job creation, and improvement of the living standard were most important as was the case in 2011. While one finds numerous changes and evolution of the electoral process, including use of technology and participation of women, the democratization process remains slow and uncertain.