E-voting begins to elect Municipal Council members

Muscat: Omani voters abroad have started voting to elect members of Municipal Councils across the country for the third term via the “I vote” application. Voting will continue until 7 pm today. For the first time, smartphone-based e-voting has been applied anywhere in the region for any political election.

Engineer Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hadabi, head of the committee supervising the voting system for the elections said that the committee was keen to ensure the functioning, efficiency, and effectiveness of the systems related to the voting process.

He added that the role of the committee, whether today or on December 25 (the voting day for Omani voters inside the Sultanate of Oman) is to follow up on the digital system and work to solve any technical challenges that arise during the voting period, address them and take the necessary technical precautions.

He pointed out that the voting process takes place electronically through the mobile application without any human intervention until the results are announced, which is a pioneering experience in the voting process at the regional level.

from anywhere via this app.

It is possible to vote through the 'Intakheb' mobile application through four easy steps, whereby the voter, after activating the Near Field Communication (NFC) feature, takes a picture of the ID card from both sides, and then puts a slide of the original ID card adjacent to the phone to read the data, after which the voter takes a picture Then a list of candidates appears for him to choose his candidate in the state in which he is registered until he presses the confirmation button to complete the voting process.

The application is characterized by a high level of security, as the voter is verified in a safe manner by reading the face print, as well as reading the identity card data electronically without manual intervention. , where the user can access the service easily and in steps.

The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has launched the 'Intakheb' mobile application for voters to vote and elect the members of municipal councils (MCs) for the third term.

The municipal councils are expected to be more powerful during the third term after the introduction of the decentralization system, a strategic trend of Oman Vision 2040 for the development of governorates and sustainable cities. Amal bint Khalfan al Yahiyaiyah, the lawyer, said that the System of Governorates achieves the aspirations of the citizens because it is keeping pace with modern administration, i.e the adoption of decentralization which enables the inflow of information from the lower to the upper level and allows for what is known as comprehensive quality management while expedites decision-making. Besides, the System of Governorates emphasizes the role of the governors in developing the governorates’ resources.

Ali bin Rashid al Matani, writer, said that the newly introduced System of Governorates aims at fostering decentralization in decision-making, particularly the decisions that boost investments and economic growth by benefiting from the advantages granted to each governorate.

Shahm bin Rashid al Shahoumi, former member of Majlis Ash’shura, said that the municipal councils aim to reduce centralization in decision-making in the governorates.

The Royal Decree 36/2022 which detached the System of Governorates and the local administration represented a milestone and the beginning of a new administration and municipal work. Consequently, the governors have acquired new powers that enable them to manage their governorates more effectively.

For the first time, voting will be held via mobile applications instead of voters queuing up at polling booths.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) had earlier announced a smartphone-based election system for electing members of Third Term Municipal Councils.

According to the ministry, the e-voting process will enable voters outside and inside the Sultanate of Oman to use their phones to elect their respected candidates for the membership of municipal councils for the third term.

The initiative stems from the Ministry's keenness to apply best digital practices and to enhance modern technologies so that voters would cast their votes smoothly and efficiently.

The ministry decided earlier than December 25, 2022, would be the day of voting for electing members of Municipal Councils, Third Term (2022).

The decision states that Omanis living abroad will vote on December 18 and that the relevant procedure will be unveiled later.

As many as 727 candidates, including 28 women are in the fray for as elections were postponed from June this year to December, through a special Royal Decision.

731,767 voters, including 347,965 women will be casting their ballots for the Municipal Council elections for the third term, via the website www.elections.om.