An initial list of newly elected Federal National Council members was announced on Saturday by the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/2023/07/06/uae-to-introduce-remote-voting-for-citizens-in-federal-national-council-elections/">National Elections Committee</a>. The list, announced in Abu Dhabi, includes four members each from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, three from Sharjah, two each from Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, three from Ras Al Khaimah and two from Fujairah. The winners elected to the UAE's consultative parliament so far include seven women. The winners were chosen from 298 candidates. The preliminary list of winners was shared on state news agency Wam. The winners are: A total of 398,879 people were eligible to vote but only 175,487 did so, including 5,042 who voted from outside the country. The highest number of voters came from Abu Dhabi with 56,471, followed by Ras Al Khaimah with 35,357, and Sharjah with 29,996. Dr Abdulrahman Al Owais, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and chairman of the NEC, said: “Early voting witnessed a good turnout with a 44 per cent increase in the number of voters from 2019, which stood at 117,592.” A final list of winners will be announced on October 13 following the completion of any appeals against the results of the initial FNC election vote count. Appeals can be submitted from Sunday. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2023/10/04/increased-awareness-among-early-fnc-election-voters-in-dubai-and-sharjah/" target="_blank">Early voting</a> took place on October 4 and 5 at nine election centres across all emirates, and the voting continued until 8pm on Saturday. The largest number of candidates of 118 was in Abu Dhabi, while Dubai had 57, Sharjah 50, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah had 21, 34, 14 and 15, respectively. The FNC plays a pivotal role in shaping policies, fostering dialogue and ensuring the representation of Emirati voices at the national level. Comprising 40 members – 20 elected representatives and 20 who are appointed by the Rulers of each emirate – it provides a platform for discussion, debate and decision-making on matters of national importance. The members represent the UAE population in each emirate. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah have six, while Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four. Candidates must be Emirati and permanent residents of the emirate they hope to represent, and they must be at least 25 years old at the close of the nomination process.
