The Basic Statute of the State, promulgated by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos in 1996 is Oman’s constitution, and provides the legal framework for the development and implementation of all legislation and government policy.

Since its promulgation the Basic Statute has been the basis for all legal decisions in the Sultanate of Oman and is the ultimate point of reference for judicial authority.

The Basic Statute determines the form of government of the Sultanate of Oman, and the framework within which legislative and other political institutions will develop. It establishes the Majlis Oman, comprising the directly elected Majis ash-Shura and the appointed Majlis a-Dowla, as well as an independent judiciary. It determines the basic structural organisation of political administration in the Sultanate.

The Basic Statute also defines the rights and responsibilities of Omani citizens. These include the freedom from discrimination of any kind, the rights of speech and assembly, the right to participate in the political decisions of the country, the rights to private property and personal privacy, freedom of religion and gender equality.

All these rights are derived from Islamic and Omani legal and social values and traditions, and the Basic Statute represents a modern codification of longstanding Omani custom and practice, as well as providing a famework for future development of legislation, institutions and political participation.

Readings of the Basic Statute of the State