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Good practice Imported

Oman's 2026 Decree Reserving 11 Shura Council Seats for Women After a Zero-Women 2023 Election

Oman · Muscat · See the Oman profile · See the Muscat profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 83% 30/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

No woman won a seat in Oman's October 2023 Shura Council election, despite 32 female candidates among 843 contenders. In June 2026 Sultan Haitham decreed 11 additional reserved seats, one per governorate, guaranteeing women's representation from the next term onward.

Oman's 2026 Decree Reserving 11 Shura Council Seats for Women After a Zero-Women 2023 Election

Details

Promoter
Diwan of the Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman
Period
2023–2026
Keywords
political representation, electoral reform, quotas

Context

Oman's October 2023 Shura Council election saw none of 32 female candidates among 843 contenders win a seat, despite women making up 48% of registered voters, a step back from earlier terms when the council held one or two women. In June 2026, Sultan Haitham issued a decree adding 11 seats to the 90-seat council, one reserved for a woman in each governorate, running alongside the existing competitively elected seats.

Objectives

Broaden women's role in political and social development following the 2023 shortfall, guaranteeing female representation on the council from the next term onward without removing any existing elected seat.

Conclusions

This entry documents a real, dated policy commitment, not a demonstrated success: no election has yet been held under the expanded structure, so its effect on women's substantive influence in the council is not yet measurable.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — No cost or implementation budget figures are reported in the source coverage.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — Decree issued June 2026, roughly three years after the triggering October 2023 election; new seats apply from the next electoral term.
Staffing & skills
Not described — implemented via royal decree rather than a staffed programme

Conditions for success

  • The 2023 election result (zero women elected) created explicit political impetus for the reform
  • Seats added alongside, not in place of, competitively elected seats, avoiding removal of existing electoral competition

Common failure modes

  • Mechanism is untested — no election has yet been held under the expanded structure, so whether reserved seats translate into substantive influence is unknown

Where it fits

Governance type
hereditary monarchy (Sultan-issued decree)
Scale
national

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

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