Associations 'can monitor polls'

Dubai: Local civic society organisations are welcome to monitor next week's Federal National Council elections, a top official said yesterday.

The process, which begins in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on Saturday to elect half the members of the FNC, is open and transparent, Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, told Gulf News yesterday.

"Local associations are welcome to attend and monitor the voting process if they wish," he added, pointing out the media will also be there to spotlight polling procedures.

Candidates or their agents will be allowed to stay in polling stations, he said, to ensure fairness and transparency.

The Journalist's Association and the Social Sciences Association have been accredited to observe the FNC elections starting next week, said Lana Nusseibah, Director of Media and Communications at the Ministry of State for FNC Affairs.

"Any local organisation wishing to observe the elections is welcome to apply for accreditation," she told Gulf News, adding that guidelines imposed on the press would also apply to observers.

Next week's elections are the first stage in modernising and strengthening the FNC, Dr Gargash told a press conference yesterday.

Speaking at the Dubai Press Club, he said the modernisation of the federal house was planned to take place in two stages, the first of which would be "limited elections" which are due next week, and the second would be to increase the powers of the FNC and make it a "representative institution".

He added that there were three reasons that modernisation was being undertaken gradually. Firstly, he said, the country does not have an "electoral legacy" and elections were not an urgent requirement in a state as stable as the UAE.

The second reason was due to the instability in the region. "The region is not a stable place. If you make a mistake in this region, it is critical. Our region is tough, but we can't remain stagnant," he said.

Thirdly, he said, elections in the Arab world had proven to be divisive, "based on sects and regions" which is not what the UAE wants.

"At the end of the day, we'd rather be safe than sorry," he added.