14,977 voters to elect 21 OCCI members on Tuesday

Muscat: About 14,977 voters will cast their votes on Tuesday to select 21 members of the Board of Directors of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) for 2022-2026.

The board of directors will consist of five members from the Muscat Governorate, 10 chairmen of the boards of directors of the branches, 5 members representing the companies listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange, and one member who will represent foreign investors.

Dr Saleh bin Said Masan, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Commerce and Industry and Chairman of the OCCI Elections Committee, said Royal Decree No 56/2022 gave more powers to enable the Chamber to exercise its role as a representative of the private sector and and strengthening its voice in economic policy decision-making.

He said the addition of public shareholding companies and foreign companies who have investor residency to the OCCI board is a quantum leap and also confirms the openness of Oman to foreign investment.

The under-secretary said the committee has completed all preparations to hold elections, which will be held from 8 am to 6 pm on Tuesday. He visited voting centres to ensure the voters cast their votes smoothly.

“A number of sub-committees have been formed in the Governorate of Muscat and other governorates to organise and supervise the OCCI elections in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and other government agencies,” he said.

Key venues include Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in the Governorate of Muscat, Sultan Qaboos Complex for Culture and Entertainment in Dhofar, and the Chamber’s headquarters in the wilayats of Khasab and Dibba in the Musandam Governorate, while the branches of the Chamber’s administrations will be the centres to vote in other wilayats.

Dr Masan said voters can cast vote from any polling centres in the country.

He said the person who gets the most votes in the elections will be declared chairman of the board of directors and the runner-up will be deputy.

Dr Masan said the online electoral register is in line with Oman Vision 2040 objective of digital transformation.

To ensure election of qualified members and also help voters to know their candidates, the committee allowed contestants to speak to voters in public meetings, during which they talk about their programmes and visions.

For the first time in OCCI’s history, nine expatriates have filed their nominations for the sole expatriate seat in the 21-member board at the forthcoming OCCI elections.