Abu Dhabi: The National Election Committee (NEC) has set up offices of the Emirates Committees in all the emirates to support the technical and administrative process related to the conduct of the Federal National Council Elections 2015, scheduled to be held on October 3.
Tareq Hilal Lootah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the Election Administration Committee, said the Emirates Committees are one of the most important executive organs of the electoral process.
“They act as a critical link between the community and NEC, and effectively contribute to enhanced communication with all segments of the community and the electoral bodies,”Lootah said.
Lootah added that the Emirates Committees will be a point of contact with citizens to learn about the electoral process in terms of legislative, administrative and operational aspects. In addition, they will contribute to raising awareness about the Federal National Council Elections and the importance of participating in the electoral process through activities implemented in coordination with the relevant committees in the NEC.
The Emirates Committee office in Abu Dhabi is situated in Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in the Corniche area, while the Dubai office is in the Dubai World Trade Centre.
In Sharjah, the committee is based in the office of the Advisory Council of the emirate of Sharjah, while in Ajman it is based in Ajman Museum — Humaid Bin Rashid Hall. The Umm Al Quwain office of the committee is in the office of the Executive Council of the emirate while in Fujairah it is in the Fujairah Chamber of Industry and Commerce building. The Ras Al Khaimah office is in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development building.
The Emirates Committees based in each emirate includes national figures who have made valuable contributions in the public sphere and representatives from the Rulers’ Offices of the emirates, police and municipality as well as the private sector and the civil society.
Emirates Committees have a vital role in the success of the electoral process. The Committees receive the final list of the Electoral College members, and provide forms for the electoral process at its offices. The Emirates Committees will work in coordination with the municipality of each emirate on the election campaign of the candidates, and propose the polling stations. They will also suggest locations for holding seminars and meetings conducted by the candidates and the members of the Electoral College, and receive candidacy requests submitted to the NEC.
They will also play an important role by monitoring the implementation of rules and regulations of the election campaigns in the emirate, and reporting any irregularities.
