Council of State (Oman)
The Council of State (Majlis al-Dawla) is the upper house of the Council of Oman. It has 83 members all of whom are appointed by the Sultan. The other house is the Consultative Assembly (Majlis al-Shura).
Legislative process
The Council of State was established in December 1997 with a Royal Decree which states (article 17) that "the State Council shall assist the Government to implement the overall development strategy and shall contribute in deepening the roots of the Omani society, maintaining the achievements and ascertaining the principles of the basic law of the state".[1]
In October 2011 the legislative process was amended by a new Royal Decree; the Council of Ministers now refers a draft law to the Consultative Assembly which has to approve or amend it within 3 months of referral. The draft law is then referred to the Council of State which has to approve or amend it. If the two bodies disagree, they take a vote to resolve the difference. If an absolute majority approves the draft law the Chairman of the Council of State refers it to the Sultan.[2]
Composition
The State Council has 83 members; they are appointed by the Sultan for a 4-year term. The members are mainly former government ministers, undersecretaries, ambassadors, senior military and police officers, tribal leaders, dignitaries and academics.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Royal Decree No. 86/97". Shura. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ^ "Oman's Sultan Qaboos gives larger role to Shura". Gulf News. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
See also
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 Oman portal |
