The UAE is preparing to launch the fourth Federal National Council, FNC, elections, which will complete the country’s process of empowerment, political participation and comprehensive development, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 01st Apr, 2019) The UAE is preparing to launch the fourth Federal National Council, FNC, elections, which will complete the country’s process of empowerment, political participation and comprehensive development, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The upcoming elections will ensure a positive electoral experience, with the aim to raise the level of female representation, who will account for half of the FNC’s parliamentary seats.
Following the formation of the 'Emirates Committees', the Abu Dhabi committee held its first meeting, led by Saif Ali Al Qubaisi, Chairman of the Committee, at the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, to discuss the election’s agenda and related preparations.
Below is a brief history about the UAE's growing political process: In a speech in December 2005, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed declared a major turning point in the nation's political establishment, granting the FNC a wider jurisdiction, as well as the beginning of the elections process.
The UAE's first parliamentary elections took place in 2006 where half of the FNC, which has 40 members, were elected.
The National Elections Committee adopted an electronic voting process instead of traditional voting, by utilising computer technology to record and store candidate and voter data, verify the identity of voters for electronic voting, and count the number of votes for each candidate.
The elections also saw, for the first time, eight women appointed by the Rulers of the Emirates, as well as one elected, occupying at the time, 22.2 percent of the total number of parliamentary seats.
The second FNC elections in 2011 saw the advancement of the country's political empowerment programme, with increased participation rates, with the size of the electoral college reaching 135,308 voters. This was as a result of the decision to increase the minimum number of members of the electoral college to 300 times the number of seats allotted for each emirate, with no maximum limit.
Emirati women reinforced their presence during the 2011 elections, when there were around 60,000 female voters, accounting for 46 percent of members of electoral authorities. They also accounted for over 22 percent of FNC members while the youth below the age of 30 accounted for 35 percent of voters.
The 2015 FNC elections saw a further increase in the number of voters, in line with a significant increase in the number of members of electoral authorities, totalling 224,281.
The number of voters amounted to 79,157, or 35.29 percent of the total number of members of electoral authorities.
The National Elections Committee undertook a set of procedures to ensure the participation of all members of electoral authorities both inside and outside the country, including the introduction of new advanced technologies that enabled voting from any emirate, as well as an early voting system.
Regarding the members of electoral authorities abroad, 94 voting centres were created in the country’s embassies to enable UAE citizens to vote.
Local monitoring was also conducted during the 2015 elections by representatives of national non-profit organisations and the agents of candidates.
