FNC preliminary list has 469 candidates

Eight candidates were rejected for the upcoming FNC elections, it was announced on Saturday.

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ABU DHABI // A total of 469 Emiratis have been approved for the preliminary list of candidates for the Federal National Council - eight short of the 477 people who registered.

The National Election Committee (NEC) said yesterday that some nominations had been rejected because they did not fulfil the official requirements, but it did not explain further.

Last week, three people were rejected because they could not provide a certificate of good conduct.

The preliminary list included members of the electoral colleges who nominated themselves as candidates for the FNC.

The list also included 85 women.

Objections against candidates on the preliminary list can be filed from today until Tuesday. The NEC will evaluate the objections on Wednesday and Thursday before announcing the final list next Sunday.

Dubai had the highest number of candidates, at 124, followed by Abu Dhabi (117).

Voters in Sharjah will choose from 94 candidates, and there are 60 in Ras Al Khaimah.

Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain and Fujairah have 34, 19 and 21 candidates respectively.

On the day of the elections, voters will be aided by an electronic machine that will allow them to press an image of their selected candidate to register their vote.

Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for FNC Affairs and the chairman of the NEC, called the preliminary list of candidates "a significant step".

"With this step, the members of the electoral colleges assume a key role in terms of participation or choosing their representatives for the council," Dr Gargash said.

"The increase in the number of candidates in this year's elections shows the growing political awareness among the electoral college members.

"We saw candidates submitting their applications across all the emirates responsibly, indicating a higher level of maturity in the electoral experience in its second edition."

The elections will be held on September 24.