Smooth flow in Fujairah elections

Fujairah: The voter turnout for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections here was unexpectedly high, with organisers saying they have been pleasantly surprised by the numbers within the first couple of hours.

For a first experience of its kind in the country's history, the proceedings for the elections were flowing smoothly in an orderly and relaxed manner. 

Voters and candidates headed to Fujairah's polling station  at the Institute of Applied Technology as soon as the voting got officially under way.

Shaikha Saeed Al Danhani, 29, had the honour of being the first woman voter in the emirate. Shaikha was pleased with her place in history, but says it was not planned.

She said: "I didn't plan to be the first, but being part of the organizers, I just found myself able to vote almost immediately. I'm really happy to be the first woman voter from Fujairah in such an important occasion."

Mohammed Al Ka'abi, one of the standing candidates, said the process was "smooth and pleasant". He said: "Bearing in mind this is a new experiment, I found the whole process to be very simple and straight forward."

Organisers expect the stream of voters to increase as the day goes on with many voters traveling from Dibba Al Fujairah, 70 kilometers away.  

In a moment typical of the harmonious nature of the elections, competing candidates and organisers took time to offer midday prayers and sit down for lunch together.

Just before 2 pm, Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, arrived to cast an eye over proceedings. He was briefed by Mr. Mohammed Saeed Al Danhani, Chairman of Fujairah's Election Committee.

Al Danhani expressed his satisfaction over proceedings saying: "Things are going well so far and thanks to the overall organisation of the event the atmosphere is orderly and efficient."