194 FILE PAPERS ON THE FIRST DAY
FINAL LIST OF CANDIDATES TO BE ANNOUNCED ON SEPTEMBER 3; SECURITY PLAN IN PLACE TO ENSURE SMOOTH POLLS
As the first day of registrations for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections opened, 194 hopefuls filed their papers across the emirates, even as authorities drafted a comprehensive security plan for the 39 voting centres |
Candidates hoping to contest the parliamentary elections, set for October 5, began their bid yesterday by signing up at registration centres across the country.
The opening day of candidate registration showed Emirati women have greater interest in politics as this year’s Federal National Council elections will culminate in women occupying half of all FNC positions – catapulting the UAE into the league of top nations with women in parliament.
Applications for running the elections, the fourth in the nation’s history, will be open until Thursday, August 22, with a preliminary list of potential candidates announced three days later.
The list of candidates will be finalised on September 3.
Yesterday, applications were received from 194 FNC hopefuls, including 52 in Abu Dhabi, 21 in Dubai, 47 in Sharjah, 7 in Ajman, 13 in Umm Al Quwain, 28 in Ras Al Khaimah, and 26 in Fujairah.
In Abu Dhabi, Major General Abdul Aziz Maktoum Al Shuraiqi, Director-General of the Federal Preventive Security at the Ministry of Interior, and Deputy Chairman of the Higher Security Committee for the Federal National Council Elections 2019, said the committee has drafted a comprehensive security plan to secure the elections across 39 voting centres in the UAE.
He said the committee has compiled instructions for voters to follow on the day of the elections.
He said the security plan is aimed at ensuring the smooth voting process across all polling stations.
Efforts lauded
Tariq Hilal Lootah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman
of the Management Committee of the FNC’s 2019 elections, commended the seamless registration process and the preparedness of the Emirates Committees’ teams to receive candidate applications.
During his tour of the candidate registration centres in Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman, Lootah praised the efforts of the specialised teams within the Emirates Committees that are relentlessly working to raise awareness of the significance
of participating in the electoral process.
“I am confident in our ability to host a transparent and successful election. Participating in this endeavor is a privilege for every national, we encourage all eligible UAE nationals to nominate themselves as candidates for this important national duty, or motivate capable candidates to apply, or come out and vote for their chosen candidate on election day,” Lootah said.
Some 337,738 Emirati voters will elect 20 out of the 40-member House. Since 2006, half of the 40 FNC members have been elected to serve four-year term. The other half of the House comprises officials who have been appointed by the Ruler’s Court of the UAE’s seven emirates.