Formulating The Legal Framework for Free and Fair Election of Shura Council in The Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This research aims to shed light on the formulation of the legal framework for free and fair election to the Shura Council in the Sultanate of Oman in a comprehensive and precise manner. This is achieved through studying the general legal jurisprudential foundations of their elections, historical trajectory, types, methods, and conditions. It also involves investigating the principles, foundations, and legal guarantees of free and fair elections, by discussing the electoral system of the Shura Council in the Sultanate of Oman by specifying the relevant committees, their levels, and jurisdictions. This study also examines the rules of electoral campaigning, electoral participation procedures, counting, and announcement of results. Additionally, it also takes into consideration the challenges faced in conducting free and fair elections for the Shura Council in the Sultanate of Oman, identifying electoral crimes, their consequences, and the requirements and possibilities for ensuring free and fair elections. The research problem lies in the need to ascertain the extent to which the legal frameworks for electing members of the Shura Council contribute to achieving the freedom and integrity of elections in the Sultanate of Oman. This research aims to identify the legal frameworks for electing members of the Shura Council and to elucidate their contribution to ensuring the freedom and integrity of elections. It also seeks to examine the electoral system employed for electing members of the Shura Council in the Sultanate of Oman from all its legal and legislative dimensions. This is done to uncover the most significant difficulties that ensure freedom and integrity in the elections of the Shura Council members in the Sultanate of Oman, and to identify the necessary requirements to warrant the achievement of freedom and integrity. This is carried out in order to formulate the legal framework for free and fair elections to the Shura Council in the Sultanate of Oman. The researcher has employed and applied the descriptive-analytical method, the inductive method, and the applied method. This research concluded with a series of findings and recommendations, the most prominent of which is highlighting the shortcomings in current legislative texts and proposing alternative provisions. Additionally, it suggests the codification of certain procedures and the introduction of specific guidelines to ensure the realisation of freedom and integrity in elections.