Abu Dhabi: Polling booths in 94 UAE embassies witnessed good voter turnout in the first overseas voting for the Federal National Council in the country’s history, a senior official said yesterday (Sunday)
“Eligible voters overseas started casting their vote for the Federal National Council for the first time at UAE embassies and missions abroad yesterday (Sunday) and no complaints were reported,” said Tareq Lootah, undersecretary of the Ministry of State for FNC Affairs and chairman of the Election Management Committee.
Voting abroad continues today (Monday) at 94 polling stations designated by the National Election Committee (NEC) and approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Lootah said the National Election Committee saved no effort to enable citizens abroad to exercise their right to vote in keeping with the best international electoral criteria in terms of transparency, integrity and accuracy.
He added that effective participation in the electoral process was indicative of the people’s awareness of the key role played by the Federal National Council in having their voice heard and their issues of concern addressed.
Polling stations abroad are receiving voters between 10am and 6pm local time.
Members of the Electoral College can check the address of diplomatic missions abroad on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (www.mofa.gov.ae) or the National Election Committee site at www.uaenec.ae.
The National Election Committee invites all citizens, who did not exercise their franchise, to check their names in the lists of the Electoral College to be able to exercise their voting right today, by visiting the website www.uaenec.ae or by contacting the NEC call centre 600500005.
Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State For Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for FNC Affairs, said voting abroad was a new experience for the country, and would help strengthen the electoral experience of the UAE.
Early voting in the UAE will be held from September 28-30 to accommodate those who cannot vote on election day.
Mohammad Mir Al Raisi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that voting at the diplomatic missions outside the UAE is an unprecedented move to enhance the participation of the Electoral College members by facilitating them to exercise their right to choose their representatives in the Federal National Council.
Al Raisi added that UAE citizens who live abroad and whose names appear in the Electoral College can vote and participate in the Federal National Council elections 2015 at 94 diplomatic missions, two weeks before the date of the elections in the UAE. This underlines the importance of providing citizens outside the UAE the opportunity to exercise their right to vote as a part of their national responsibility.
