December 16, 2006: Woman wins seat in the first FNC election

2006 - A woman was among the six victorious candidates in the first elections to the UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC) in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.

The winners praised the vision of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the emirates and vowed to work for the UAE’s development. Dr Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi became the first woman to be elected to the council.

The other winners in Abu Dhabi were Mohammad Ali Fadil Al Hameli, Ahmad Shabeeb Mohammad Al Daheri and Rashid Musabbah Al Marar.

The turnout in Abu Dhabi was 60.2 per cent, with 1,048 voters casting their ballots. The total number of votes polled was 3,630.

In Fujairah, the turnout was 80 per cent and the winners were Sultan Ahmad Al Moadhen Danhani and Ahmad Saeed Abdullah Al Danhani.

Other important events

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1879 - Transvaal Republic (now South Africa) is proclaimed.

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1945 - Thailand joins the UN.

1949 - Sukarno becomes Indonesia President.

1960 - A United Airlines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collide over New York City, killing 134 people.

1966 - The UN declares apartheid a crime against humanity.

1971 - Bangladesh declares independence from Pakistan.

1972 - US Apollo 17 spacecraft heads for Earth after the last US manned exploration of the Moon.

1978 - Martial law is clamped on Taiwan.

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1990 - Haitians elect populist priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide as President.

1998 - US and Britain launch a military strike on Iraq in response to Baghdad’s failure to comply with UN weapons inspections.

2000 - US President-elect George W. Bush names Colin Powell as Secretary of State, the first African-American to hold the post.

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