Some 129,000 Emiratis are expected to elect 20 representatives out of 450 candidates, including some 85 women, across the Gulf state whose leadership has promised a gradual political participation.
The size of the electoral college has significantly been enlarged after it included only 6,600 voters in 2006, the first-ever elections since the FNC was formed in 1972, a year after independence from Britain.
Running in the FNC polls is not open to all UAE citizens as candidates should come from within the lists of eligible voters named by the respective ruler of each of the seven emirates. Those rulers will also name the other half of FNC members.
The leadership of the country has urged voters to take part in the elections to achieve wider participation.
“On this important national occasion, I call upon my sons and daughters, the members of electoral bodies, to participate actively in the elections so that we can achieve real participation,” said President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, who is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashed al-Maktoum, who is also the ruler of Dubai, described the polls as a “new chapter in the success story” of the country.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai are assigned eight seats each in the FNC, compared to six each for Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah, and four each for the smaller emirates of Ajman, Fujairah and Umm al-Qaiwain.
