347 in race in preliminary list of candidates for UAE elections 2015

The electoral process for the Federal National Council Elections 2015 has reached an important milestone with completion of the registration of candidates and the announcement of the preliminary list of candidates, stated Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the National Election Committee. Emphasising the important role of voters at this stage, Dr. Gargash urged all UAE citizens to check their names in the Electoral College list to ensure that they will be able to exercise their right to vote on the polling day.

He pointed out that it is the vital responsibility of voters to participate actively in the elections to enable a transparent electoral process that would lead to the election of the right candidates capable of serving the homeland and the citizens. He therefore called on the members of the Electoral College to consider the priorities of the nation and choose the candidates based on public interest.

Dr. Gargash commended the enthusiasm and positive efforts shown by the Electoral College members to submit their nominations to run for the elections during the five days of the registration process. As a result, the registration process was a successful event, carried out in an orderly and professional manner without any glitches or errors,' he added.

The minister pointed out that names announced by the National Election Committee are not the final approved list of candidates. The final list will be announced by the Committee on August 31 with the conclusion of the appeals period, he said, adding that each candidate will receive a reference number which must be used in their election campaign.

Candidates With the conclusion of the five-day registration process, there are 347 candidates in the preliminary list with 97 candidates in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and 62 in Dubai. Sharjah has 65 candidates while Ras Al Khaimah has 42, Ajman 23, Umm Al Qaiwain 20, and Fujairah has 38 candidates.

The presence of women 78 women have submitted nominations to run for the elections with 24 candidates registered in Abu Dhabi, 22 in Dubai, 13 in Sharjah, 5 in Ras Al Khaimah, 4 in Ajman, 3 in Umm Al Qaiwain, and 7 candidates in Fujairah.

Appeals on candidates' requests Starting tomorrow, NEC will allow submission of objections on candidate nominations for three days – from Monday August 24 to Wednesday August 26, 2015. Objection requests can be made to the relevant Emirates Committee on a prescribed form during this period, with supporting documents and a fee of Dh 3000, which will be refunded if the appeal is found to be valid. The fee will not be refunded if the appeal is rejected.

Deciding on appeals The Appeals Committee will take a decision on appeals. This committee, headed by a judge and comprising two members with experience legal and competence to examine electoral appeals, will study and report the legal opinion to the NEC for final verdict.

NEC will issue its decisions on appeals on Thursday August 27. The decisions of NEC in this regard will be final and no further appeal will be accepted. The Committee will announce the final list of candidates on Monday, August 31, 2015.

NEC has urged all the candidates to meet the deadlines for the start of the campaign as per the schedule approved by NEC, and comply with the regulations stipulated in the executive instructions, in order to ensure the conduct of the electoral process in a civilised and honourable manner in line with the reputation of the United Arab Emirates.