Hundreds of thousands of Emiratis had the chance to vote for representatives on the Federal National Council. Pawan Singh / The National
Hundreds of thousands of Emiratis had the chance to vote for representatives on the Federal National Council. Pawan Singh / The National

FNC vote is a milestone for the country



Voting in the third Federal National Council elections concluded on Saturday. The process marks a significant milestone in this country’s development. The council was formed under the Provisional Constitution in 1971 and its members were initially selected by theGovernment. Since 2006, voting has been open to citizens.

During this election period, there has been a push to elevate awareness of the role that the FNC plays in society. With greater understanding comes more participation. With early voting and electronic polling stations, the process was made easier during this election cycle. The ultimate goal of these and other initiatives was to help citizens understand who they were voting for and what the candidates’ responsibilities should be.

We congratulate the 20 winning candidates. As Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, said, the elections are a “remarkable development” that takes the country a step forward towards the enhancement of parliamentary work.

While voter turnout is moving in the right direction, the journey could be faster. Only 35 per cent of the eligible voters cast their votes during the election period, of whom 61 per cent were men and 38 per cent were women. Even though voter turnout has increased from 28 per cent in 2011, it remains lower than hoped for. However, there are encouraging signs of higher levels of voter engagement in the Northern Emirates, particularly in Ras Al Khaimah.

The FNC can realise its mission only if it is composed of people of all ages and both sexes. The aim of this election and others in the future is to represent the spectrum of interests and opinions of Emiratis and, as such, reflect the diversity of the country. Having only one elected woman out of 20 does not help the FNC realise its goals.

While the number of women FNC members could likely increase when 20 more members are appointed by the Government in the following weeks, it is hoped that to see more diversity in the future will occur through the ballot box. Still, the FNC is developing gradually and it is important that we celebrate this election.

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

A little about CVRL

Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.

One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases. 

The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery. 

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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

PFA Premier League team of 2018-19

Allison (Liverpool)

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)

Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Paul Pogba (Manchester United)

Fernandinho (Manchester City)

Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat