BABY STEPS:

Oman stages first free elections (CNN, October 4, 2003)

Omanis went to the polls in their first free elections to elect an advisory council Saturday.

A "good" turnout was reported midday, with more than half the registered voters casting their ballot at some polling stations, Saeed bin Mohammed al-Braiki, deputy chairman of the Elections Commission, told The Associated Press.

An estimated 262,000 of the 1.8 million Gulf state's population are expected to vote after the franchise was extended by Sultan Qaboos bin Said to include over 21s late last year.

Voters were previously selected by the government from among tribal leaders, intellectuals and prominent businessmen, representing only about a quarter of the population.

They will elect an 83-seat advisory council, or Islamic-style Shura Majlis Council, that has a say on economic matters, but not defense, security or foreign affairs.

Oman has been experimenting with progressive elections for the last decade, introducing first limited participation in 1992 with the foundation of the Shura Council, followed by the enfranchisement of women in 1996.

The Omani experiment, like the Moroccan, is interesting because it is an attempt to impose democracy from above. This will hopefully allow for a gradual process and the develoipment of a more liberal culture before genuine democracy is attempted.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 5, 2003 6:01 AM