Omani voters elect municipal councils

MUSCAT, Oman (AA) – Omani voters cast ballot on Sunday to elect members of the municipal councils through a smart phone application for the first time.

Voting started at 7 a.m. local time (0300GMT) and will close at 7 p.m. (1500GMT)

According to Oman’s electoral commission, 731,767 voters are eligible to vote in the polls to elect 126 local council members.

A total of 696 candidates are vying in Sunday’s polls, including 27 women.

Sunday’s vote sees the use the Entakhib app, launched by the Interior Ministry to help voters cast their ballot in the polls.

The first municipal elections were held in Oman in December 2012.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report