Emirati women make up almost half of 555 FNC registrations


Haneen Dajani
  • English
  • Arabic

More than 500 Emiratis registered as potential candidates in this year’s Federal National Council elections.

Candidates flocked to registrations across the country, over the past week, to nominate themselves in what will be the country’s largest election to date.

More than 330,000 Emiratis chosen among the Electoral College will be able to cast their ballots to elect members of the UAE’s advisory council on October 5.

Of the hundreds of thousands of citizens eligible to nominate themselves, 555 signed up to be considered to represent their Emirate in the council. A little under half of these (200) were women.

A decree by President Sheikh Khalifa that women should make up 40 per cent of the council’s seats after this year’s election is likely to have encouraged the surge in female applications.

During the previous election, in 2015, only one-fifth of the 330 candidates who registered were women. Of those candidates, only one was elected by the public: Naama Al Sharhan from Ras Al Khaimah, who will be running for council again this year.

Half of the FNC’s members are chosen through the elections, while the other half are appointed by the government. Sheikh Khalifa’s decree guarantees women will comprise half the seats even if they are not all elected by the public.

Rashed Al Ghafli, Vice Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s FNC Elections Committee, said the increase in nominations this year showed that political awareness has grown among UAE nationals over the years.

He also attributed the significant turnout of women candidates to the recent presidential decision.

Over the 5-day registration period, Abu Dhabi received the largest number of submissions (155) from hopeful candidates. Next was Sharjah with 127 registrations and Dubai with 98 potential candidates. In Ras Al Khaimah, 65 Emiratis registered and 55 Emiratis submitted applications in Fujairah. Twenty-three registrations were recorded in Ajman and 23 in Umm Al Quwain.

On Thursday, a total of 98 applications were made across the Emirates, marking the end of candidacy registration. Of the 27 who applied on the last day in Abu Dhabi, half were women.

The next step will be the announcement of the list of preliminary candidates on Sunday by the National Elections Committee.

The committee will receive appeals against any of the announced candidates the following day and until Tuesday.

The final list of candidates will be revealed on September 3. Five days later, the candidates can begin their campaigns which will continue for 27 days.

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

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Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
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The specs
 
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm

Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm

Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm

The specs

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Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic

Power: 375bhp

Torque: 520Nm

Price: Dh332,800

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Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

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Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')

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While you're here
The candidates

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Ali Azeem, business leader

Tony Booth, professor of education

Lord Browne, former BP chief executive

Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist

Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist

Dr Mark Mann, scientist

Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

 

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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo

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Power: 170bhp

Torque: 220Nm

Price: Dh98,900

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

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Rating: 4/5

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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