The Consultative Assembly (; transcription: ''Majlis al-Shura'') is the lower house of the Council of Oman. It is the only legislative body in Oman of which all members are democratically elected. The other chamber of the parliament is the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

(''Majlis al-Dawla''). The assembly consists of 90 elected members. Each

wilayah A wilayah ( or ''wilāya'', plural ; Urdu, Pashto and ; ) is an administrative division, usually translated as "state", " province" or occasionally as " governorate". The word comes from the Arabic root "''w-l-y''", "to govern": a '' wāli''� ...

(province) in Oman is entitled to at least one representative in the assembly. Provinces with a population of 30,000 or above are represented by two members, while provinces with fewer than 30,000 inhabitants are represented by only one member. The winning candidates are the ones who obtain the higher number of votes according to the official election results. Oman does not allow

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

; thus, only non-partisans have been elected.

History

Before 1981, the Majlis al-Shura (Consultative Council) was a unicameral legislature of the

Imamate of Oman The Imamate of Oman () was a historical state within the ''Oman proper'' () in the Hajar Mountains, part of the present-day Sultanate of Oman. The capital of the Imamate alternated historically between Rustaq and Nizwa. The Imamate's territ ...

until its dissolution in 1959.

Legislative process

As mentioned in the Basic Law of the State (''de facto'' constitution), the Council of Oman has some legislative and oversight powers. The Council of Ministers (the main executive branch) must have to refer draft laws to the Assembly, which has to approve or amend it within a maximum of three months from the date of referring. Then it is referred to the State Council which has to approve or amend it. If the two chambers disagree, they take vote to resolve the difference. However, if any bill passes both chambers, it must be approved and signed by the Sultan to become a law. The assembly has the exclusive power of interpellation to any of the services ministers.

Requirements

* Must be an Omani national by origin. * Must be at least 30 years old by the Gregorian calendar on the commencement date of candidature. * Educated to at least General Education Diploma level. * Never sentenced for a felony or crime involving moral turpitude or trust, even if he is rehabilitated. * Enrolled in the election register. * Not affiliated to a security or military authority. * Not interdicted by a judicial judgment. * Not suffering from a mental illness. * It is permissible for whoever completes his membership term to run again as a candidate for Majlis al Shura.

Latest election

References

External links

* 1981 establishments in Oman

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...