Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Dies

Oman, MINA – Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said died on Friday night local time at the age of 79 years. He is believed to have had colon cancer for a long time.

“With grief, the Sultanate of Oman’s court is in mourning. Our Sultan Qaboos bin Said was chosen by God to be by his side on Friday night,” the Omani news agency reported, thus quoted from CNN on Saturday.

Qaboos has no children and publicly declared a successor to lead Oman.

The 1996 law noted that the ruling family would choose a replacement within three days to fill an empty throne. If it fails to approve, the council of military and security officials, the head of supreme court, and the heads of two assemblies will appoint someone whose name has been secretly written by the sultan in a closed letter.

Qaboos ruled Oman for almost half a century and is counted as the longest-serving leader in the Arabian Gulf state. He ruled after taking the throne in a coup in 1970 with the help of Britain, the former colonial power of Oman.

Under his administration, Oman received support from Western countries.

His government has faced armed rebellions from communist groups in southern Yemen known as the Dhofar war. With the help of several countries, his government succeeded in resisting the rebel resistance movement so that he still retained his throne.

Qaboos made Oman one of the countries that embraced democratic governance. Direct elections made Oman give birth to government leaders filled by women.

Qaboos also often makes political decisions based on consensus that works well for federal, provincial, local and tribal representatives. The ‘legacy’ is a legacy of democratic governance for Omanis. (T/Sj)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)