At stake in this election:

• 83 seats in the Lower Chamber (Majlis al-Shura)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said
• Head of Government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said
• Assembly: Oman has a bicameral Parliament (Majlis Oman) consisting of the Upper Chamber (Majlis al-Dawla) with 48 seats and the Lower Chamber (Majlis al-Shura) with 83 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Sultan is hereditary head of state.
• In the Upper Chamber (Majlis al-Dawla) 48 members are appointed by the monarch*. In the Lower Chamber (Majlis al-Shura) 83 members are elected by universal adult suffrage to serve 3-year terms.

* Members are appointed by the monarch. They retain advisory powers only.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Independents*
  • Seats won in this election: 83

* Political parties are banned in Oman.

Last Legislative election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held on September 14, 2003. About 540 candidates registered to participate in the polls with two women securing a position in the Consultative Assembly.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,807,125 (July 2003 Estimate includes 577,293 non-nationals.)
• Registered Voters: 822,000 ( est.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,062,511 (2003)

·         Is Oman a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Oman ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (7 February 2006)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Human Development Index Position: 52 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Oman a signatory to CRPD: Yes (17 March 2008)

·         Has Oman ratified CRPD: Yes (6 January 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 421,068 (est.)