The foreign ministry readout describes His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik issued two Royal Decrees on 26 October 2026, amending provisions of the Council of Oman Law and the Shura Council Members Election Law. The statement does not mention the reasons behind these amendments. The decrees, published in the Official Gazette and set to come into force on the day following publication, detail specific changes to the respective laws. Article 1 of Royal Decree No. 97/2026 states that the amendments attached to this Decree shall be made to the aforementioned Council of Oman Law. Article 2 of the same decree states that all provisions that contravene the attached amendments or conflict with their provisions shall be repealed. Similarly, Article 1 of Royal Decree No. 98/2026 introduces a new Article No. 4 bis to the Shura Council Members Election Law, stipulating that the Minister shall issue a decision specifying the rules and procedures for nominating one woman from each governorate for the membership allocated to that governorate in the Council. The statement does not address the potential impact of these amendments on the composition of the Shura Council. The decrees are an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.
Context
The issuance of these Royal Decrees reflects ongoing efforts to reform and modernize Omani governance structures. The amendments to the Council of Oman Law, as outlined in Decree No. 97/2026, indicate a desire to update the legal framework governing the Council. The addition of Article 4 bis to the Shura Council Members Election Law, detailed in Decree No. 98/2026, represents a concrete step towards increasing female representation within the Council, a change that the ministry has previously announced on 13 October 2026. In March the ministry said that it would review the composition of the Shura Council. The statement does not mention the date the decrees were issued. Previous statements by this same ministry on 4 October 2026 confirmed the intention to issue these decrees.
What to Watch
Should the visit yield a sustained commitment to increased female participation within the Shura Council, this could represent a significant shift in the Council’s composition. If the Minister issues a decision as stipulated in Article 4 bis, the operational details of the nomination process will become critical. The statement does not mention the timeline for the Minister’s decision. Should the Council of Oman Law amendments be implemented as described, the legal basis for the Council’s operations will be updated. The decrees shall come into force on the day following their publication.
