MUSCAT — A total of 110 candidates will compete for 61 seats on the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s board and its 10 branch boards on Nov. 23, with eligible voters able to cast ballots remotely by smartphone.

The chamber’s election committee published the final candidate lists on Nov. 12 after completing its review of nominations and objections. Of the 110 candidates, 83 are running for branch board seats and 15 are vying to represent Muscat Governorate. Another 10 are contesting seats reserved for public joint-stock companies listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange, while two are running for the seat reserved for foreign investors who hold investor residency.

Voters will elect five members to each of the 10 branch boards. The candidate with the most votes in each branch will become its chair, and the runner-up will become deputy chair.

The 10 branch chairs will also sit on the chamber’s 21-member national board, alongside five representatives from Muscat, five from listed companies and one from the foreign investor category. Under the chamber’s rules, if no foreign investor stands, that seat goes to the highest-polling unsuccessful candidate in the listed-company category.

Voting power varies by membership grade. Premium-grade members have five votes, followed by four for first-grade members, three for second-grade members, two for third-grade members and one for fourth-grade members.

The new national board is due to meet within seven days of the announcement of the final results. It will elect a chair, two deputies and two other members from among its ranks to form the executive committee. The election committee will publish the eligibility criteria and nomination procedures for the chair before the meeting. Each board’s four-year term begins on the date of its first meeting.

Khalid bin Said Al Amri, chairman of the Oman Economic Association, said the election would test the chamber’s ability to turn business concerns into proposals that could be put into practice. He said smartphone voting could broaden participation, particularly among small and medium-sized businesses seeking stronger representation on financing, tenders and regulation.

Al Amri urged the incoming board to use research and data in its policy proposals and publish measures of its performance, including how quickly it responds to members, how effectively its sector committees operate and how satisfied businesses are with its work.

Insurance and reinsurance specialist Murtadha Al Lawati said the chamber should reflect the different needs and investment opportunities of Oman’s governorates. He called for clear professional criteria for appointments to sector committees and closer cooperation with the Shura Council so lawmakers could draw on the chamber’s research and industry expertise.

The chamber is a private institution with a public-interest mandate to represent its members and promote their business interests. About 478,750 commercial registrations were affiliated with it as of November 2025. The chamber was founded in May 1973 and held its first board elections in early 1975.