The National Election Commission (NEC) stressed the necessity of the candidate for the FNC elections to submit an account statement of the donations he receives, and to submit it to the emirate's nominated committee. His campaign is from public funds, or from the budget of ministries, institutions, companies and public bodies.
In response to a question about the possibility of urging the private sector to support candidates with donations, Lootah said, during a training workshop for members of electoral bodies wishing to stand for election to the Council elections, organized by the Committee, yesterday, at the Police Officers Club in Dubai, It oversees the implementation of the law, which stressed that the value of electoral propaganda does not exceed two million dirhams, and allowed the candidate to receive financial donations from local bodies and Emiratis only, so it is up to those working in the private sector to support the candidates is up to them.
He explained that «the candidate finances his election campaign self, and can receive donations from natural persons or legal UAE, provided that the total donations do not exceed the ceiling set for spending on the election campaign, which is two million dirhams, and is prohibited from receiving any money or donations from foreign persons or entities».
He stressed the need to adhere to the electoral propaganda only in the period specified for that, which begins on the eighth of September and continues until the fourth of October, and the candidate is allowed to announce his intention to run during the period before the start of the election period, provided that no manifestation of propaganda is used He pointed out that the candidate has the right to be guided by the statements of state symbols, with the obligation not to use the emblem and symbols of the state in electoral propaganda.
Lootah stressed that the committee will take into consideration a proposal to use media outlets to disseminate lectures and educational seminars on the council elections.
He stated that the committee adopted early voting in several areas, over three days, before the main voting day on October 5, to facilitate citizens, pointing out the difficulty of generalizing «early voting» everywhere at the state level, because the processing of each voting center passes The main voting centers are scattered throughout the country.
In response to a potential candidate's intervention on voting in a non-emirate, Lootah said: “The law allows citizens to vote for their candidate at any polling station nationwide, in order to facilitate citizens to fulfill their national duty in the electoral process.”
Lootah reviewed the role of the Council as the fourth authority among the five authorities in the country, highlighting the highlights of the Voter and Candidate Guide, to introduce potential candidates to the procedures followed from the announcement of the names of electoral bodies until the announcement of the final result of the Council elections 2019.
He stressed that mass SMS messages are prohibited in electoral propaganda, with the need to refrain from propaganda on government buildings, schools or hospitals.
• A maximum of 2 million dirhams for electoral campaigning. The candidate is allowed to receive financial donations from local authorities and UAE nationals only.