FNC election day announced

Committee announces polls will take place on October 3, with more citizens eligible and overseas voting for first time.

The National Election Committee has said the list of eligible voters would be published soon. Jaime Puebla / The National

ABU DHABI // The Federal National Council elections will be held on October 3, with even more citizens eligible to vote.

The National Election Committee said on Wednesday that the list of eligible voters for the country’s third election, to be chosen by the Rulers of the seven emirates, would be published soon.

The committee also gave details of reforms that include overseas ballots, a single-vote system, a wider awareness campaign to improve turnout, and a judge to lead the panel that will hear any appeals.

Dr Saeed Al Ghafli, a member of the NEC, could not give the exact number of voters but said it would be significantly higher than the 129,274 listed in 2011.

Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and chairman of the NEC, said the elections would be efficient and well organised.

This year, each voter will lodge a ballot for only one candidate in their emirate. In the past two elections, the first being in 2006, voters could vote for up to four candidates, depending on the number of seats their emirate held on the council.

“The UAE’s election experience isn’t that vast,” Dr Al Ghafli said. “This will be the third the country has organised. To switch from one system to another is a normal practice until we find what is suitable for the UAE parliament system.

“We have switched to single votes to give more opportunity for people to go and vote.”

Voter turnout – 28 per cent in 2011 – is a major concern for the committee, which will be working over the next five months to increase knowledge of the FNC and encourage eligible Emiratis to cast their ballots.

The October election will also be paper-free, with voters using their Emirates ID cards to cast their vote electronically at polling stations around the UAE.

An electronic system was used in the last elections but paper ballots were cast as a back-up, which proved useful in Al Ain during a systems crash on voting day.

And for the first time, voters outside the country will be able to vote at UAE embassies.

“People asked why they didn’t have this chance,” Dr Al Ghafli said. “Some might be studying abroad, so the committee this year decided to introduce voting abroad.

“Elections this year will be bigger, definitely.”

Dr Al Ghafli said interest in the FNC had grown over the past few years and the importance of the elections had been stressed.

Those wishing to become candidates for the FNC face similar rules to previous elections. They must be at least 25, literate and should not have been convicted of any offence, unless they have been rehabilitated in accordance with the law.

In 2011, 450 people declared their candidacy for the 20 spots. The other 20 spots on the council are appointed by the Rulers of each emirate.

A campaign spending cap of Dh2 million will be enforced. The appeals committee to oversee post-election complaints will be led by a judge rather than the Minister of Justice, as was the case in 2011.

A detailed timeline leading up to the elections will be released later. Dr Gargash could not be reached for comment.