Abu Dhabi: The Federal National Council yesterday elected Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair as the Speaker of the House for the two-year tenure of the 14th Legislative Chapter.
He secured 23 votes in a House of 40 members in a secret ballot conducted after the inauguration of the Council by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Two more members Mohammad Mohammad Al Hameli and Amr Abdul Jalil Al Fahim also ran for the post, but were defeated by Al Ghurair. Al Hameli secured 11 votes while Al Fahim got 6 votes from the House.
The opening session was chaired by Abdullah Nasser Huwaileel Al Mansouri being the most senior member in the House. He named a two-member panel to supervise and conduct the election for the Speaker.
However, Rowiya Saif Sultan Saeed Samahi, a woman member from Fujairah, asked the speaker to include her name in the panel, which the chair approved. Upon this, the two more panels conducting the elections of two deputy speakers also included a women member.
Al Ghurair, after winning the election, proceeded to the Speaker's chair to conduct the business of the House.
Women's participation
He said the new legislative chapter will be full of parliamentary work through direct contacts with the people of the country to serve them.
"This House will hold legislative control bravely to serve the country. The council will examine in detail social and other problems and solve them," he said.
Al Ghurair further added the participation of women in legislative proceedings in the country is yet another historical turning point.
"The women's representation in the Council is the highest among world parliaments. This reflects our leadership's vision of empowering women to take active part in political affairs and decision-making," he said.
The Speaker pledged he will be committed to his responsibilities and fulfil all his duties with sincerity and dedication, especially with regard to parliamentary reforms and statutory development.
Al Ghurair trained as an industrial engineer and gained an honours degree from the California Polytechnic State University. He joined Mashreqbank in 1977.
In 1988, he took over responsibility for the bank's international operations, setting up branches in New York, London, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
He was appointed Executive Director in 1989 and became CEO the following year.
In addition to his duties as CEO of Mashreqbank, Al Ghurair is president of the Al Ghurair City shopping mall and sits on the Boards of Directors of the Dubai International Financial Centre, Visa International and MasterCard.
Al Ghurair's insistence on rigorous quality management has led to numerous awards, including the Shaikh Khalifa Excellence Award in 2001.
