UAE to introduce remote voting for citizens in Federal National Council elections

Authorities say a hybrid voting system will be used as part of the country's digital transformation

A Federal National Council meeting in Abu Dhabi. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

UAE citizens will be able to vote remotely – from inside and outside the country – at the next Federal National Council elections.

Announced on Thursday, the National Elections Committee issued a resolution that would overhaul the way voting works for the fifth round of elections.

A new hybrid system will be used where remote votes will be combined with those counted at official polling stations, according to Wam.

The move is in line with the UAE's digital transformation and will enforce the rule that each voter has only one vote. If they vote more than once, whether remotely or in the polling centre, only their last vote will be counted.

The voter may not elect more than one candidate for the emirate to which they belongs.

Voting remotely will take place via a specialised app and will start from the first day of the early voting period until the end of the main election day.

It was also decided there will be no election centres in diplomatic missions.

Using a digital identity

Several amendments and additions were made to the executive instructions for the Federal National Council elections 2023. The changes were based on the study and evaluation of previous electoral cycles

With the introduction of a more digitised set up, each member of the Electoral College will need to be registered in the uaepass digital identity system, which has been approved to be used for voting purposes.

Changes included an increase in the registration fee for candidates from Dh1,000 to Dh3,000 ($272-$816).

People of determination who meet required legal conditions and pass a medical test are also eligible to run in the elections.

An increase in the spending ceiling for electoral campaigns means candidates can now spend Dh3 million in addition to an increased maximum fine for breaking the rules, currently set at Dh10,000.

The National Elections Committee stressed the importance of adhering to the provisions and rules of the executive instructions for the elections.

The Federal National Council is a 40-member parliamentary group of the UAE.

For more information, people can visit the National Elections Commission website www.uaenec.ae or use the NEC smart application, which is available on the Apple Store and Google Store.