Oman: Constitutionalism Unrealized

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the development of constitutionalism in Oman over three historic phases. It examines the establishment of the modern Omani state, and sheds light on the power struggle between the absolutist ruler, Sultan Saʿid bin Taimur al-Saʿid, and his reformist brother, Tariq bin Taimur al-Saʿid, the first serious attempt to introduce constitutionalism in Oman calling for limiting the Sultan’s power and transforming Oman into a constitutional monarchy. It details first how British authorities intervened as intermediaries in this power struggle, bolstering the Sultan’s powers and entrenching absolutist monarchy in Oman. The chapter then examines the events surrounding the late Sultan Qaboos’s issuance of the Basic Law – enacted during his twenty-sixth year in power – and situates it as a response to internal and external pressures within Oman and in the Gulf region in the mid-1990s. The chapter moves then to describe a movement for greater power-sharing emerging as part of Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011 and describes some of the minor constitutional amendments enacted by Sultan Qaboos that year, which did little to alter the status quo. Finally, it examines the Sultan’s passing away in January 2020, the appointment of Sultan Haitham as successor, and his enactment of a new constitutional document intended to stabilize governance in Oman and devolve some authority to his inner circle, while largely avoiding a larger disruption of power dynamics.