Omanis vote to elect advisory council

MUSCAT, Oman (Reuters) -- Some 115,000 electors including tribal leaders, intellectuals and prominent business figures began voting on Thursday for an 83-member consultative Shura Council in the Gulf Arab state of Oman.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0300 GMT), the official Omani News Agency said. Voting will continue for 12 hours and officials said results would be announced on Friday.

Oman is one of the few states to hold elections in the conservative Gulf Arab region ruled by monarchies, but the Shura council has no legislative power. It advises mostly on the economy, and not on defense, security or foreign affairs.

The government chose 175,000 men and women from among the oil-producing country's 1.7 million inhabitants as eligible to vote for the council which will sit from 2001 to 2003.

Of those, 115,000 registered to vote compared with about 51,000 in the previous election in 1997.

A small committee headed by a judge monitored voting at each polling station.

At a Muscat polling center the judge said the committee had encountered no cases of people trying to vote more than once, but some people turned up without voting cards.

"We cannot say it happens with the intention of committing fraud, but some voters are mainly confused, thinking that they don't need cards to vote," he told Reuters.

Many voters said they would vote for candidates who could improve services in towns and villages.

"I hope that my candidate will fight for facilities like setting up of central sewerage systems, more tarmac roads in the streets and better school conditions in my area," a voter in Muscat told Reuters.

There are 556 candidates, down from 736 at the last poll. The number of women candidates has dropped to 21 from 27.

Fears of losing their jobs if elected, reluctance to stand against tribal elders, and the council's lack of an effective role kept many people from standing, former council members and analysts say.

Officials said no foreign observers were monitoring the vote, but foreign reporters were free to cover it.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more Middle East news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Middle East

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.