Federal National Council elections to take place on October 7

Women make up more than half of the electoral college for this year's polls

The next round of voting in the FNC elections will begin on October 7. Fatima Al Marzooqi/The National

The next round of voting for the Federal National Council will take place on October 7.

On Monday, the National Elections Committee approved the schedule for the 2023 elections.

Last week, the NEC announced the list of 398,879 electoral college members, an 18.1 per cent increase over 2019.

The representation of women in the electoral college lists for 2023 has increased to 51 per cent, compared to 49 per cent for men, the NEC said, according to state news agency Wam.

Fifty-five per cent of the list is comprised of men and women aged 21-40.

Nearly 30 per cent was made up of people aged 21-30, and just over 25 per cent was made up of people aged 31-40.

"This allows a large number of young Emiratis across the UAE to participate in the elections and choose their representatives in the FNC," the NEC said.

Dr Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and chairman of the NEC, said: "The announcement of the electoral colleges marks a new, important milestone in organising the the electoral process as per the best standards in line with the UAE people's aspirations and preserving the gains through which the UAE has offered an exemplary parliamentary model based on consultation and effective participation in the decision-making process."

The electoral college comprises 126,779 members from Abu Dhabi, 73,181 from Dubai, 72,946 from Sharjah, 12,600 from Ajman, 7,577 from Umm Al Qwainn, 62,197 from Ras Al Khaimah and 43,559 members from Fujairah.

Recently, authorities announced that voting will be possible remotely, both from inside and outside the Emirates. A hybrid system has been created which combines remote and in-person voting to maximise convenience to voters.

If people vote more than once, whether at polling centres or remotely, only their last vote will count.