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Oman kicks off ambitious reform project

A significant revamp promises to slim down the Omani government, bring in new faces and mark the start of a new era.
Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq meets with US Secretary of State at al-Alam palace in the capital Muscat on February 21, 2020. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

“We were holding our breath [for] this day to come!” Buthaina Al-Jabri, the co-founder of the Omani students union in the United Kingdom, told Al-Monitor. On Aug. 18, Oman's new ruler Sultan Haitham restructured the government.

Upon his ascent to the throne in January, Haitham pledged to “undertake necessary measures to restructure the state’s administrative apparatus.” Omani researcher in political sociology Mubarak Al-Hamdani told Al-Monitor he believes the new ruler is pursuing policies recommended by the national strategy Oman 2040.

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