NEC announces FNC elections schedule

The National Elections Committee (NEC) on Monday announced the timeline of the upcoming fourth election cycle of the Federal National Council, FNC, with Oct.5, 2019, selected as the main election day.

As part of its sustained efforts to ensure transparency, integrity and accuracy of the elections the timeline announced outlines all of the steps and processes.

NEC also launched a call centre for the fourth cycle of the elections, and unveiled the new logo of the 2019 elections.

The design and concept of the logo reflect the directive of the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to increase the representation of Emirati women in FNC to 50 per cent in the upcoming electoral cycle.

The NEC also announced the launch of the elections digital platforms that will provide voters and the public with comprehensive information about the next cycle. These include the UAE NEC website, as well as the official social networking platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Committee introduced the new NEC smart application that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices.

Opening of registration for applications at application centres will be on Aug.7, 2019, candidate’s registration at polling stations commencing on Aug.18, 2019, that will continue for five days, and the announcement of the preliminary list of candidates on Aug.25, 2019.

The NEC will receive objections against candidates over the next three days, and will respond to these objections by Sept.1, 2019.

The final list of candidates will be announced on Sept.3, 2019, while the names of the candidate representatives should be presented on 4th September according to the terms set out in the executive regulations. The candidates will launch their election campaigns on Sept.8, 2019, with the deadline for candidate withdrawal, if any, set for 15th September.

According to the timeline, overseas voting will run on Sept.22 and Sept.23, while early voting takes place from Oct.1 to Oct.3, 2019.

Allowing voters to cast their ballot before the official election deadline, early voting is seen to help increase participation and give voters more flexibility to cast their votes at their convenience, especially those with conditions that prevent them from performing their electoral duties.

The timeline has set Oct.5, 2019, as the main election day, during which the results of the preliminary count will be announced. Appeals will start on Oct.6, 2019, and continue for two days, with the committee replying to these appeals on the 9th and 10th October. The final list of elected candidates will be announced on Oct.13 unless supplementary elections are held.

For the first time, this year’s elections will not witness any election silence that usually prevents candidates from campaigning 48 hours before voting begins. This new initiative aims to enhance candidate-voter relations and improve outreach and engagement.

Dr. Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of NEC, said, "The early announcement of the election timeline establishes a transparent relationship with all parties involved, especially voters, enhances their awareness about the electoral process and paves the way for effective participation. This step will go a long way in ensuring the success of the fourth elections cycle that witnesses significant interest and growth in the number of electoral bodies."

WAM