Sharjah: Khawla Abdul Rahman Al Mulla was elected as the Chairperson of the Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC) on Thursday, making her the first woman to be elected to this position since the SCC was established in 1999.
The SCC recently held elections where a total of 195 candidates, including 43 women, were competing for half of the council’s 42 seats spread across Kalba, Khor Fakkan, Al Dhaid, Dibba Al Hisn, Al Batayeh, Meliha, Al Hamriya and Al Madam. Around 67 per cent of the 25,000 eligible voters exercised their ballot between January 28 and 31 across nine polling stations.
The 21 winners had been announced on February 1 with Fatima Ali Al Muhairi being the first woman to hold a seat after receiving 134 votes.
The remaining 21 members are now being appointed by the Ruler of Sharjah.
The decision to hold the SCC elections came after His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, announced that half of the 42-seat consultative council would be elected, and the rest of the 21 seats filled by appointees by the Ruler.
The Consultative Council in Sharjah was established in 1999 by Emiri Decree No. 3, issued by Shaikh Sultan, to assist the Ruler and the Government Departments.
The aims of the Council are to improve the services provided to the citizens in the Emirate to better their living and working conditions. The Council works together with different government departments in reviewing laws and their amendments.
