ABU DHABI // With the date of the next election announced, former Federal National Council candidates returned to the stage and declared their intention to run again.
On April 29, the National Election Committee announced an October 3 date for FNC elections.
Not long after, dozens of influential Emiratis took to Twitter to rally support.
A couple of eager citizens revealed their intention to run, despite not yet knowing if they are eligible.
According to NEC rules, only those who are named in the electoral college list, announced three months before the election, can apply to become candidates. Eligible individuals must be older than 25, be of good reputation and literate.
Ismail Al Bannai, head of a unit at Dubai Municipality, lost in 2011 and is eager to run again.
Back then, Mr Al Bannai, who was candidate 638, said his Dubai competitors, including those serving on the FNC, all had senior roles in the community and a certain popularity that came with those positions.
He hopes they will not run for a second time and that this will be his year.
“The Government has made it so easy for anyone to become a candidate, even from the young age of 25,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I run again and again and again if I need to?”
Despite not attending any council sessions, Mr Al Bannai said he believed some members on the council were “like wood” and said their membership should be revoked by the FNC speaker.
“Members of the FNC should be evaluated,” he said. “Those who are inactive should be removed from the council and election runners-up should take their place. Those who are inactive are no benefit to the country.”
Madhheya Al Minhali, a lawyer from Abu Dhabi and a former FNC candidate, said she, too, planned to run again this year. In 2011 she topped the list of Abu Dhabi women.
“I have not yet made decisions about my election campaign or how it will be different this year, but I will be running for a seat,” she said.
In 2011, she received 709 votes, 444 votes short of winning. Only one woman was elected for 20 available seats last time.
Mr Al Bannai said education would be at the heart of his campaign this year.
“My campaign in 2011 was atypical,” he said. “All candidates spoke of similar issues: housing, education. This year I will have a far more specific campaign to differentiate me from others.”
He has edited his Twitter profile, declaring himself an FNC candidate for 2015. He is optimistic that he will be eligible once again.
The promise of an election involving more voters than before has meant those eligible to vote in 2011 believe this year they will have similar rights.
Other former candidates were less upfront, fearing it might affect their eligibility.
“If my name is not yet listed, then I cannot say,” a former candidate from the Northern Emirates said.
osalem@thenational.ae