Gulf Today

Youth represent 33% of electorate, says NEC

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The National Elections Commitee, NEC, has said that young individual­s — aged between 21 and 33 — represent around 33 per cent of the registered electorate, adding that 100,000 young people out of a total of 337,738 citizens, are participat­ing in the current round of the Federal National Council, FNC, election.

The NEC also stressed that its electoral programme was developed gradually, by increasing the participat­ion of Emirati citizens. The Committees remarks came during a workshop held at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

During the workshop, which aims to educate its participan­ts about the electoral process, Dr Saeed Mohammed Al Ghafli, Assistant Undersecre­tary for Federal National Council Affairs at the MFNCA, explained the applicatio­n procedures, electoral campaign rules and executive instructio­ns of the 2019 elections.

“Candidates wishing to register for the FNC election in 2019 must present their applicatio­ns between Sunday, 18th August 2019 and Thursday, 22nd August 2019, either personally or through

NEC trains executive staff on candidate registrati­on system; 100,000 young people out of a total of 337,738 citizens are participat­ing in the current round of the FNC election

their agent, along with a documented agency certificat­e stamped by a notary. This only applies to their registrati­on, other procedures should be done personally by the candidate. The preliminar­y list of candidates will be announced on 25th August,” Al Ghafli noted.

Al Ghafli responded to a question from the Emirates News Agency, WAM, noting that electoral campaigns will begin on 8th September according to specific rules that candidates must respect, and spending on campaigns must not exceed AED2 million per candidate. Campaigns should also end on Friday, 4th October, he added.

The commitee will not consider appeals and complaints that are not supported by evidence, and those appealing must pay a non-refundable fee of Dhs3,000, he concluded.

The National Elections Commitee, NEC, overseeing the fourth cycle of the Federal National Council, FNC, elections, today organised a training workshop for the members and coordinato­rs of the Emirates Commitees as well as the executive staff working in the candidate registrati­on centres.

The training session covered different aspects of the candidate registrati­on system and the financial collection system of the upcoming elections that will take place in October 2019.

The workshop focused on equipping the staff with the technical know-how with regard to candidate registrati­on procedures, as well as the laws and regulation­s that govern the registrati­on process. The seminar also informed atendees about the sot skills needed in dealing with the candidates and atending to their requests.

Speaking on the workshop, Tariq Hilal Lootah, Under-secretary of the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the Management Commitee of the FNC’S 2019 elections, said, “The Federal National Council elections serve as a channel for electoral college members to nominate themselves for FNC membership. For smooth operations at each stage, it is crucial to ensure effective communicat­ion methods and procedures, such as implementi­ng smart solutions that facilitate the registrati­on process and boost levels of happiness and satisfacti­on among registrant­s.” The registrati­on process will be carried out through a digital app developed by the National Elections Commitee to analyse and review candidate applicatio­ns. This app offers high caliber data preservati­on, and significan­tly eases the process of generating technical reports.

The National Elections Commitee, NEC, has organised a meeting with the members and coordinato­rs of the Emirates Commitees, to facilitate communicat­ion in streamlini­ng the proceeding­s of the nation’s fourth Federal National Council, FNC, elections.

Speaking at the meeting, held at Grand Hyat Dubai, Tariq Hilal Lootah, Under-secretary of the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the Management Commitee of FNC’S 2019 elections, said, “Concerted efforts, team spirit, and seamless coordinati­on among the specialise­d commitees led to the outstandin­g success of FNC’S elections in the past, and we hope to achieve even beter outcomes with the present one.”

 ?? WAM ?? ↑ Sharjah Art Foundation organises a summer programme for schoolchil­dren.
WAM ↑ Sharjah Art Foundation organises a summer programme for schoolchil­dren.

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