Sharjah/Ajman: Polling stations in Sharjah and Ajman were buzzing with activity as Emiratis stepped forward to exercise their right to vote in the Federal National Council election (FNC) on Saturday morning.
There was a festive mood at the polling centres in Sharjah and Ajman, as voters started to turn up almost an hour in advance. At the Masfout polling centre, they were greeted with flowers on their arrival.
Polling started at 8am on Saturday.
There are 32,000 Emiratis in Sharjah eligible to vote. while in Ajman there are 6,000 eligible Emiratis.
A clinic for emergency cases has been set up at the main polling centre in Ajman’s Ministry of Social Affairs.
In Sharjah and Ajman, people with special needs as well as the elderly were among the first voters.
Dr Ahmad Al Zarouni, chairman of the FNC committee in Sharjah, said the Sharjah station had seven counters to check the ID of voters and two voter inquiry counters, apart from 32 voting machines.
A total of 50 staff are working at the centre in shifts to help voters.
Al Zarouni called on all people to vote.
Meanwhile, a system failure occurred in a poll centre in Sharjah’s Al Liya area which delayed the start of polls to 8.40am.
At the Mugaider polling station, an elderly man was caught trying to cast his ballot for the second time. Officials said the man had already participated in early voting, but attempted to vote again. Mugaider poll station chairman, Abdul Aziz Saleh, foiled the man’s attempt and asked him to leave the centre.
Among the hundreds of voters was Minister of Health Abdul Rahman Al Owais who cast his ballot at the Sharjah Chess Club. Al Owais said, “This is a national duty and FNC is our partner. Members of the last session helped us solve a number of problems.”
Brigadier Saif Mohammad Al Ziri Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, also cast his vote at the Sharjah Chess Club polling station. “I am here not as a police commander-in-chief but as a citizen,” Al Shamsi said, “[This process] has a positive impact on all community members,” he said.