The National Elections Commission confirmed the right of each candidate for the elections of the Federal National Council to choose two agents, a maximum, one of which is limited to the registration of the application for the elections, during the period from 18 to 22 August next, through the submission of documents of the candidate to the Committee of the Emirate of the Emirate, and the second to enter the centers Elections during voting days, monitoring the conduct of the ballot, and observing the counting process, on his behalf.

In detail, the National Elections Commission announced yesterday that it has opened the door for candidacy for membership in the Federal National Council, inviting all those wishing to nominate himself to apply for candidacy to the Emirate Committee, whose name is registered in its electoral body, during the specified period, and within the official working hours, which runs from 8 am To 3 pm.

The Committee indicated that the candidate who is required to stand for election to the Council must meet a number of conditions, namely to be a citizen of one of the emirates of the Federation, and to reside permanently in the emirate he represents in the Council, and be at least 25 years of age (i.e. He must have civil capacity, good conduct and good reputation, and he has not been convicted of an honorable crime, unless he has been rehabilitated according to the law and must have sufficient literacy.

The Minister of Health and Community Protection, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the Committee, Abdul Rahman Al Owais, said that the parliamentary elections in the UAE continue to strive for excellence and uniqueness, by drawing on the main pillars on which it is based, namely the preservation of gains, and build on the successes and achievements.

He said in a press statement yesterday that «the electoral process reaches a new stage in its march with the announcement of the opening for candidacy for membership of the Council, is one of the most important stages, because it highlights the keenness of members of electoral bodies to participate actively in this national event, and assume their national responsibilities in the representation Citizen, and voice his voice, and meet all his needs and aspirations », calling on the citizens of members of the electoral bodies to participate actively in this stage.

He stressed the importance of adherence to the conditions and procedures for the nomination processes, saying: «Candidates to the membership of the Council has a great responsibility in the preparation of programs and electoral campaigns that attract voters, and touch their aspirations, and motivate them to vote for them».

Nomination documents

The Committee confirmed that the documents required for the completion of the nomination process are the identity card issued by the Federal Authority for Identity and Nationality, a summary of registration, and a certificate of examination of the criminal case addressed to the National Elections Commission, in addition to the fees for the registration process (1000 dirhams).

It also indicated that the civil servant (federal and local), who has military status, wishing to stand for candidacy, must submit a certificate confirming that he has been granted leave from his work from the date of the announcement of the final list of candidates (September 3, 2019) until the date of the election day (October 5, 2019). . As for the members of the judiciary, the applicant must submit a certificate proving his resignation from his job with the application for candidacy. The applicant shall be deemed to be a member of the present Federal National Council and shall cease to perform his duties from the date of the announcement of the final lists of candidates.

9 candidate registration centers

The committee identified the registration centers of candidates, which were distributed to all emirates of the UAE, where three centers have been identified, namely the headquarters of the Committee of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Floor (2), and in Al Ain in the Chairman's Hall, Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium. Al Dhafra Zayed City Council.

In Dubai, the Hatta (CD) Hall in Dubai World Trade Center has been identified. In Sharjah, applications will be accepted in Hall 1 of the Consultative Council building, Ajman will be accepted at Sheikh Humaid Hall in Ajman Museum, while applications will be received in Umm Al Quwain at the Social Development Center and in Ras Al Khaimah in the Great Hall of the Cultural Center. In Fujairah, applications are received at the Fujairah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the 8th floor.

The Committee confirmed that it had provided all forms related to the registration of candidates on its website, where any interested candidate can get the forms and take them to the registration center, in addition to two recent photographs.

Agents of candidates

The committee made it possible to register the applicant for nomination by an agent, explaining that «according to the executive instructions any member of the electoral bodies, wishing to run for the FNC elections, can appoint another person through a special agency approved by the notary according to the form adopted by The emirate's committee, or through a modern public agency, mandates the agent to take the procedures for running for elections.

In response to a question by the Emirates Today, the committee confirmed the right of each candidate for the elections of the Council to choose a maximum of two agents, to replace him in a number of positions, provided that both agents are members of the electoral commission for the emirate of which the candidate belongs, and to release the candidate for each Official power of attorney through a notary public or public power of attorney.

She explained that the role of the first agent, which is used by the candidate, is limited to the process of registering the application for the election, through the submission of supporting documents to the candidate, in addition to the need to provide a certificate of the qualification of the candidate (not less than high school), instead of literacy test. The role of the second agent starts during the voting days, as he is entitled to enter the voting committees to follow the progress of the ballot, and monitor the process of counting the votes on behalf of the candidate, who is usually in the main voting center, confirming that the agencies can free one person, provided that the deadlines for the release of each agency who are they.

Public Awareness

Hilal Zaid Al Shehhi Council hosted a lecture entitled `` FNC Elections 2019 '' organized by the Office of Councils Affairs at the Crown Prince's Court in cooperation with the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs, in the framework of the strategic partnership. Between them, which aims to spread the culture of political participation in society, and encourage its members to support the electoral process at all stages, in order to activate the role of the Council in the service of the country and the citizen.

The lecture, presented by the Director of the Political Development Department at the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Sulaiman, discussed the importance of partnership between the parties and institutions to spread the culture of political participation, and to build a politically conscious generation, and contributed effectively in supporting electoral science at all stages, being a key pillar in achieving Vision Leadership to drive development and prosperity.

He said: “The political empowerment program of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, constitutes an integrated course of action, which has contributed to ensuring the participation of UAE nationals in decision-making, activating the role of the Federal National Council and contributing to its empowerment to be supportive of the Government in working towards achieving The interest of the citizen and provide his needs and requirements ».

The lecturer urged citizens to verify their names in the lists of electoral bodies for the elections of 2019, by visiting the website of the National Elections Commission, or through their application on smartphones, or through communication with the NEC Contact Center, or by visiting the headquarters of the committees deployed Throughout the state.

During the lecture, they reviewed the stages of development and progress in the work of the Council in the service of the country and the interest of the citizen, and highlighted the main achievements made during the previous elections, which is to increase the size of participation, both voters and candidates.