Course offers tips for FNC candidates

Lectures cover matters essential to running a campaign

Colin Simpson

DUBAI // A training course to help candidates to organise a successful election campaign is to be held in the run-up to polling for the FNC.

The two-day event will cover the principles of democracy, electoral systems and secret ballots. Other topics will include running an election team, dealing with questions, setting up a campaign operations room and handling the media.

Candidates will be taught how they should behave when meeting voters as well as about practical matters such as transportation and information technology. They also will be advised on how to cope should problems arise on polling day or during the count.

The course is open to candidates from all the emirates and is being staged by the Dubai Quality Group and the events management company Etisal. They say the four elements needed to run an effective campaign are organisation, professional methods, good management and maintaining direct contact with voters.

"The course targets candidates for the national council and will contribute to dotting the Is and crossing the Ts," said Saleh Janeeh, the Dubai Quality Group chairman.

The course lecturer will be Professor Habib Rammal, a specialist in electoral campaigns from the Lebanese University.

Other topics covered will include manifestos, voter education, publicity material and advertising campaigns.

The course will be held at Al Bustan Rotana hotel in Garhoud on September 4 and 5.

"Two weeks of professional, systematic and organised work are enough to deliver candidates to their objectives," the Etisal managing director, Nada Jaber, said. "The last 10 days before a vote are crucial for voter choice."

The FNC election will be held on September 24. It is being organised by the National Election Committee, which has been running seminars to increase awareness among candidates of all aspects of the electoral system.

csimpson@thenational.ae

@ For more on FNC ELECTIONS, visit thenational.ae/topics

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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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Brief scoreline:

Wales 1

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1. Fasting

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3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat

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Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
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The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

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2019 ASIA CUP POTS

Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia

Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand

Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam

Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan

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