Now that the nominations for the Federal National Council are in, it's up to the 347 candidates to articulate clear and compelling visions for how they will represent the voters on the consultative body. Although some candidates might still face challenges to their eligibility, there will be substantially fewer candidates than the 468 who stood for the 2011 election.
This smaller pool will aid this communication process, both for the candidates and for the eligible voters. Even so, there will still be a large number of candidates in each emirate, ranging from the 97 provisionally nominated in Abu Dhabi for four available elected FNC positions, to Umm Al Quwain, where 20 will contest the two seats on offer.
Part of the premise of the FNC is to reflect what Emiratis are discussing in the country’s majlis and coffee shops, and good candidates tend to be those who have the strongest and deepest connections to their communities. These same connections will also help these prospective FNC members to articulate to voters their vision for the future and their ability to convey to the Cabinet solutions to problems that are both practical and in keeping with our core values.
It is, of course, not just the candidates who haev a responsibility here. The voters too have a duty to familiarise themselves with the candidates in their emirate and choose the one they believe will serve best, rather than simply voting based on reputation or family name. We also endorse the call by Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, for more women to be represented on the FNC. This has been reflected by the 78 women who have nominated themselves, representing 22 per cent of candidates. Ultimately, of course, voters should cast their ballot primarily on merit.
This communication between candidates and voters will involve many formats, ranging from face-to-face meetings through to social media. In stark contrast to some countries, we are fortunate in the UAE to have a restrained and respectful political discourse and we encourage this approach to prevail as candidates put forward their agenda without resorting to exaggeration or pretence or by disparaging their rivals.
With most FNC members not standing for re-election on October 3, there will be many fresh faces in the fourth version of the council. It is now up to candidates and voters to ensure it represents the country’s views, values and attitudes.
