Abu Dhabi: The National Election Committee in its 14th meeting has endorsed the final list of the winners of the Federal National Council election 2015 held on October 3 after examining the report on the conduct of the electoral process as well as the report of the Appeals Committee on the preliminary results of the elections.

The NEC considered the report of the Appeals Committee on the only appeal it received from one of the candidates in Dubai. Under the provisions of Article 56/A of the Appeals Committee, the NEC rejected the appeal due to lack of strong evidence in the claims against the validity of the preliminary results.

The meeting expressed sincere gratitude to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for supporting the political empowerment programme. The committee also thanked Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Emirates for their encouragement to the electoral process in 2015.

The NEC said the launch of the political empowerment programme by Shaikh Khalifa reflected his visionary outlook to promote gradual political participation in the country. The process has opened new horizons in the development of a parliamentary culture in the country through effective coordination between the Federal National Council and the government to achieve remarkable progress in the nation’s development march, the committee noted.

The NEC expressed its appreciation to Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, for all the support extended in organising the election for the first time outside the country. UAE citizens residing abroad were able to vote in the election in a smooth process with the active involvement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through UAE embassies and diplomatic missions.

The NEC also thanked the Ministry of Interior represented by Lt Gen Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, represented by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for supporting the work of the committee at all stages of the electoral process this year.

Meanwhile, the NEC decided to donate the electronic infrastructure used during the elections — including computers, touchscreens, and a large number of printers and laptops — to support the education sector in Yemen.

Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the National Election Committee, attributed the success of the election to the support of the leadership during all the stages of the electoral process.

He said the third electoral exercise in the UAE has contributed to the gradual approach of the development of parliamentary life in the country, fostered a culture of political participation, and helped raise the political awareness of the voters and the candidates.

The NEC thanked the offices of the Rulers of the Emirates, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the ministries of Justice, Health and Education, the Federal National Council, and all the federal and local national institutions, the Emirates Identity Authority in particular, for the success of the election. The committee also expressed appreciation for the efforts of all the strategic partners of the electoral process, Higher Colleges of Technology, Emirates Committees, and all the teams that contributed to the electoral process.

The NEC thanked all the citizens for their active participation in the election as candidates and voters. It also thanked the media for supporting the electoral process and helping raise awareness about the importance of political participation among all the segments of society as well as effectively conveying the NEC messages across the country and the region.

Describing this year’s elections as a major step forward in the political empowerment programme in the country, Dr Gargash said the NEC is preparing a comprehensive report covering all aspects of the electoral process to serve as an important reference document for future elections. The committee will hold a special workshop with key stakeholders to include their views on the report, Gargash said.

NEC congratulated all the winners and expressed the hope that the new members of the Federal National Council will act as the voice of the UAE society and succeed in expressing the aspirations of the citizens to achieve greater cooperation with the government for the comprehensive development of the country.