Constitutional Experience of Oman

The Center for Arab Unity Studies has published the second edition of the book Constitutional Experience of Oman by researcher Basmah Mubarak Sa’id.

The Sultanate of Oman witnessed the first written constitutional document in its modern history with the issuance of the Basic Law of the State in 1996, about a quarter of a century after the establishment of the modern Omani state with the arrival of Sultan Qaboos to power. During the first twenty-six years of his rule the country did not know any real constitutional reference to which the authority was assigned, but rather the rule derived its legitimacy during that time from the Sultanic legacy carried by the Bu Said family since 1749. The first Basic Law of Oman, issued by royal decree, represented the legal reference upon which the system of government in the Sultanate is based, and it has been subject to some amendments imposed by the social transformations that expressed themselves in the Omani Spring of 2011.

The book examines the historical circumstances surrounding the birth of the Omani constitutional process. It focuses on a set of questions addressing the reasons for the course of events related to the constitution; why did the constitutional vacuum persist for 26 years; why Sultan Qaboos refrained from issuing a constitution upon assuming power in 1970; and why did he decide to issue the Basic Law in 1996? The book also focuses on the circumstances of the law’s amendment in 2011 following the Omani Spring. It also discusses the contents and orientations of this constitution and the perceptions of Omani citizens regarding it.