(With reports from Anwar Ahmad, Aghaddir Ali, Faisal Masudi, Samihah Zaman, Ahmed Ramzan, Virendra Sakhlani, Clint Egbert)
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman [UAE]: Dubai: The Federal National Council (FNC) elections have been successfully conducted across the country and concluded late evening on Saturday with the declaration of preliminary results of winning candidates.
The National Election Committee (NEC) announced the names of the winning candidates at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) in the capital.
A couple of winners who were luckily available at the Adnec burst into excitement and shouting slogans and their relatives and friends shouted loudly after seeing his name at the top of the list. They exchanged greetings and thanked Allah.
Winners expressed their gratitude for the leadership of the country and thanked those who voted them to victory.
Noura Bint Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, announced the names of winners at 10.20pm Saturday at the Adnec.
Abu Dhaabi winners
Winners from Abu Dhabi were Suhail Al Afari, Khalfan Rashid Al Shamsi, Naeema Al Mansouri and Mauza Mohammad Al Amri.
Speaking to Gulf News Naeema Al Mansouri, the winner from Abu Dhabi who was heartily congratulated by her son, Hamdan, said, "I [am] grateful to Allah and rulers of the UAE and voters. I feel highly excited about the win and the transparent electoral mechanism."
"Today my dreams have come true and I am very excited," she said.
Dubai
Winners from Dubai are Hamad Ahmad Al Rohoumi, Osama Ahmad Al Shafaar, Maryam Majid Bin Thuniah and Sara Mohammad Amin.
Sharjah
Sharjah's winners are Humaid Ali Al Shamsi, Adnan Hamad Al Hammadi and Obaid Khalfan Al Ghol.
Al Shamsi got 1,227 votes.
Al Shamisi told Gulf News that his agenda focused on five aspects including education; establishing centres specialising in cancer diseases; paying more attention for people with determination; working to get allowance for children from their birth until they get married and retirees; improving salaries; and also focusing on the condition of teaching as well as teachers.
“I will do my best to develop the standards of education as well teachers,” he said.
Finally, he said that he was so proud of the emirates and people of his emirate as they do their best. He is also grateful they came to the poll station to vote.
He said he cannot describe the feelign of winning the FNC election.
Al Shamisi recieved a warm greeting from everyone around him.
His family members rushed to the scene, they were crying as they congratulated him.
The second winner was Adnan Hamad, from Kalba, and garnered 985 votes. The third winner, Obeid Khalfan Al Gul, from Dibba Al Hison, received 947 votes.
Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah winners include Yousuf Abdullah Al Shihhi, Saeed Rashid Al Abri and Ahmad Abdullah Al shihhi.
Ajman
From Ajman, the winners are Ahmad Hamad Al Suwaidi and Hind Humaid Bin Hindi Al Alili.
Fujairah
Fujairah winners are Mohammad Ahmad Al Yammahi and Sabireen Hassan Al Yammahi.
Umm Al Quwain
Umm Al Quwain winners are Mohammad Eisa Al Kashaf and Azra Hassan Rakaz.
As per the NEC, these are the breakdown of 20 FNC election winners on Saturday, by emirate: Abu Dhabi, 4, Dubai 4, Sharjah, 3, Ras Al Khaimah 3, Ajman 2, Fujairah 2, Umm Al Quwain 2.
The preliminary results were announced immediately after the booths closed.
Appeals against results will be allowed for two days from October 6 and the National Election Committee (NEC) will respond to the appeals over two days on October 9 and 10.
Declaration of winners
However, the NEC will approve the final list of winners on October 13, if no election run-offs are required.
Emiratis exercised their ballots until 8pm on Saturday to elect 20 members of the Federal National Council (FNC).
As per the NEC, these are the breakdown of 20 FNC election winners on Saturday, by emirate: Abu Dhabi, 4, Dubai 4, Sharjah, 3, Ras Al Khaimah 3, Ajman 2, Fujairah 2, Umm Al Quwain 2.
The remaining 20 of the 40-member chamber will be appointed by Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Emirates. A total of 479 candidates joined the fray for the 20 seats.
The electoral rolls included 337,738 Emiratis who were eligible to vote in and run for the House elections, marking a 50.58 per cent increase over the 2015 list that included 224,281 Emirati electors.
The pool of voters included 101,549 members from Abu Dhabi, 60,772 from Dubai, 64,293 from Sharjah, 10,165 from Ajman, 6,653 from Umm Al Quwain, 55,289 from Ras Al Khaimah and 39,017 members from Fujairah.
Earlier in the day
Voting in the Federal National Council (FNC) elections, which was to run from 8am to 8pm, has now been extended by an hour until 9pm, officials have confirmed. Noura Bint Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, confirmed the extension at the Adnec.
Voters started streaming towards ultra-modern voting centres in the UAE on Saturday, October 5, 2019 to elect their next representatives to the Federal National Council (FNC). Noura Bint Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, confirmed the extension of an hour until 9pm at the Adnec.
Emirati voters started casting their ballots as polling booths opened across the country for the FNC elections, the fourth in the nation’s history.
In Abu Dhabi, the number of voters making their way to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre has been growing steadily on Saturday morning.
While just as many women as men have come in, the sight of families, with parents coming in with young toddlers in tow, has been a heartwarming sight.
ADNEC is one of the main polling centres in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
“It is my first time voting in these momentous elections, and I am happy to have brought my daughter,” Rawdha Al Mansoori, a 38-year-old homemaker, told Gulf News. Her mother and younger brother were also with her, and they looked around at the facilities before heading to the polling booths.
Ahmad Ali was another parent who had brought his toddler along.
About 337,738 Emiratis are eligible to vote on October 5 in the FNC elections to elect the 40-member house.
“It is a privilege to participate in these elections, and it is our right. I am happy that my youngest son has come along. After all, I hope his education, and that of other children, is one of the biggest avenues I hope our future members of the FNC will work on,” said Ali, 43, a government employee.
A fair number of voters of determination have also been making their presence felt on Election Day. Greeted by the welcoming committee, they have headed to the booths to cast their ballots.
The NEC has already said that early voting figures indicate a keen interest in members of the electoral college to contribute to the political development of the country.
“All five of my family members here in the UAE have voted. I am proud to be part of the political process of my country, and also proud to be part of an electoral college in which more than half of all members aged 40 years or younger,” said Ahmad Al Suwaidi, 30, a senior analyst.
The FNC is the UAE’s advisory council.
It was formed under the UAE Provisional Constitution in 1971 as a permanent component of the country’s governing structure, which also includes the Supreme Council, President, Cabinet and Judiciary.
Earlier, 1,842 Emiratis voted in polling stations around the world as part of overseas voting, conducted ahead of today's elections.
There are 479 candidates listed for Saturday's Federal National Council elections in the UAE.
At the Dubai World Trade Centre, voting started at 8am on Saturday. Balloting is open till 8pm.
The 40-member FNC is composed of eight members from Abu Dhabi and Dubai; six from Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah; and four from Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
Twenty members will now be elected by the 337,738 members of the Electoral College. The other 20 will be nominated by their respective emirates.
The UAE's National Election Committe (NEC) explained the voters can cast their votes at their nearest polling station, regardless of which emirate it is located, and added that they must produce their identity cards.
Each voter only has one vote during the same election cycle and can choose only one candidate.
The first session of the FNC was inaugurated by the late President Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan on February 13, 1972.
Today's voting procedures have been hailed by voters, who say the procedure to cast a ballot takes less than two minutes. In addition, only an Emirates ID is needed for identification purposes, just as in the previous FNC elections in 2015, and the NEC is even accepting expired IDs.
“I’ve voted before, and this time feels especially easy. So in a way, there is no excuse for members of the electoral college not to show up and vote,” said Abeer, a 42-year-old government employee from Abu Dhabi.
Abdulla Al Raeesi, a 35-year-old IT manager, agreed.
“This is my third time as a voter and everything is seamless. I just hope that the cadidates we vote for are selected, and that they represent our concerns about Emiratisation, housing and education,” Al Raeesi said.
Candidates in touch with voters
This time around, FNC hopefuls are more in touch with people’s concerns, many voters added.
“Seven members have voted from my alone, and we feel that the candidates are simply bringing more to the table,” Abeer added.
The majority of voters who spoke to Gulf News cited educational advancement, Emiratisation, youth development and quality of life as the key concerns they hoped the FNC members would address once elected.
The voting is expected to continue across 39 stations until 8PM today, with results to be announced soon after the polls close.
