Dubai: Candidates continued to nominate themselves in large numbers on day two of the nominations for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections on Monday.
In Sharjah, eight members registered for the candidacy, including a woman, while in Ajman seven people signed in for the nominations.
Aisha Mutawa Al Suwaidi, Principal of Al Manar Model School in Sharjah, thanked the Rulers of the country for giving her this wonderful opportunity, following the registration of her candidature at the Sharjah Consultative Council.
“I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to participate in the building of the nation. I would love to take this opportunity to serve the country and people. I would like to live up to the trust our leaders have shown in us by proving that there is nothing that women can’t achieve,” said Aisha, following her nomination.
Aisha is planning to campaign for the elections on the agenda of pushing for greater development of education.
Another candidate from Sharjah, Salem Hadid Al Khabaisi, a lawyer, is also focusing on education and health care as his campaign topics.
“Education is the foundation of a society and if we strengthen this sector along with health care and economy we can have a vibrant nation. I hope I will be of service to my country and people in all aspects,” said Al Khabaisi.
In Ajman, young businessman Adel Omar Al Zahiri was ecstatic after registering his candidacy.
“I am very happy today and I see this as a great chance to serve my country. If I win, my focus will be to try and make the business environment as easy as possible and free from all red tape,” said Al Zahiri.
Meanwhile, in Dubai, nominees approached the FNC booth located in World Trade Centre to submit their applications.
Hayat Yousuf Saeed, who works at Dubai Municipality, wishes to offer her skills and expertise to benefit her society.
“I applied and nominated myself in the year 2011 but I did not make it,” she explained. “But it was a great experience because I learnt a lot which helped me come back this year more prepared.”
The returning candidate, who worked as a journalist for 24 years, explained that she enjoys helping orphans, families in need and voluntarily participates in societal initiatives to fulfil her duties as an Emirati woman.
Rashid Abdullah Al Falasi, an Emirati engineer in the government sector, explained that as an Emirati it is important to contribute to society by trying to constantly offer more.
“As an Emirati living in this country it is my duty to nominate myself and apply because my aim is to see my country constantly improve and I could be part of the difference made,” he explained.
Al Falasi added that through the FNC elections, the UAE has granted citizens the opportunity to get their voices heard and reach their goals by applying for positions. He also said that he found little to no difficulty throughout the applications process.
“I knew which documents I needed to present when applying because it was listed clearly and when I had any doubts I called the hotline and they were very quick and responsive.”
On day one, 102 candidates — 14 women and 88 men — registered at the nine centres across the country.
The registrations are open until Thursday, following which the preliminary list of candidates will be announced on August 23. Three days — August 24 to 26 — have been set aside for submission of objections on candidate nominations.
The National Election Council will respond to objections on August 27, while the final list of candidates will be announced on August 31.
Nearly 224,000 Emiratis are eligible to vote or stand as candidates, compared with nearly 135,000 at the last election in 2011. More than two-thirds of the voters are under the age of 40, and nearly half are women.
The elections will be held on October 3.
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