The elections for the UAE's Federal National Council are almost upon us, but the country is not yet ready for them. There is a lot to do to start an effective debate during the hustings, and so achieve more inclusive and informed governance in the FNC for its next session.
All candidates for the FNC will have to register next week, over three days from August 14 to 17. They will only know that their registration is officially accepted a week later, and campaigning will happen over almost two weeks before the September 24 polls. This does not leave much time for the candidates to prepare their thoughts, make the required speeches, write the necessary articles, and promote their views to the 129,000 voters who have been chosen by the government.
The huge increase in the number of voters has vastly broadened the franchise. And while this is a great development for UAE's democratic experience, it has also offered a major hurdle for first time candidates to talk to first time voters, being managed by the National Electoral Commission which has never handled such large numbers before, and all in a matter of a few weeks.
The importance of the new FNC is that it will be asked to define how to expand its role into more detailed supervisory and legislative tasks. This means that its new members matter a great deal. They have a huge responsibility to ensure that the emerging inclusivity of the UAE's government is handled properly. The leadership has been clear that it wants to see a greater role for the FNC, but this must not be derailed by hasty or ill-judged decision-making. This is why the imminent elections matter a lot to the UAE and its future.
