MUSCAT – Omanis vote in their first municipal election Saturday. Stability in the small Gulf oil producer and US ally is important because it sits opposite Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for almost a fifth of petroleum traded worldwide. According to government figures, Oman created more than 52,000 public sector jobs between January and October this year, as well as at least 22,000 in the private sector. An official said the number of registered unemployed fell to 17,230 at the end of October 2012 from 68,007 a year earlier. Although Muscat's normally staid streets have been plastered with posters of candidates promising to fix roads or build parking lots, many Omanis say the local vote is meaningless because municipal councils hold little or no power. “I don't think these guys will make any significant changes because they will not be politicians and can't make changes where needed,” said Malik Al-Malki, a civil servant. “They are not like the Shoura Council members.” The Shoura Council has been elected regularly since 1991 by a limited pool of voters. Universal suffrage was adopted in 2003. Of the 1,475 candidates vying for 192 municipal council seats, fewer than 50 are women, reflecting a belief among some Omani women that men do not want to see them in public office. – Reuters
