Elections
Not all UAE nationals are allowed to vote or run for office. Only 6,689 out of some 800,000 Emirati citizens in the country were eligible to take part in 2006 election. Those eligible were chosen by the rulers of the emirates.
Women are allowed to vote and run for office but there is no quota to ensure a set number of women get elected as there is in some other Arab countries. Over 14 percent of candidates are women. By the end of 2003, all forty members of the FNC were male.
Election officials billed the polls as a trial run they hoped will pave the way for universal suffrage in the coming years. Even then, however, only half of the FNC will be elected.
In late 2006, half of the organization was elected . These elections were seen as the first steps toward Emirati democracy.
| Members | Seats |
|---|---|
| Elected | 20 |
| Appointed by the rulers of the constituent emirates | 20 |
| Total | 40 |
Among the 20 members chosen by the Electoral College, one woman was elected. Eight female members were appointed by the rulers of the 7 emirates. Each emirate had at least one female appointed, with the exception of Umm al-Qaiwain. Three of the females appointed were from Dubai. The total amounted to 22.5% of the Council representing women’s significant expansion and participation in the UAE’s government.
Read more about this topic: Federal National Council
Famous quotes containing the word elections:
“In my public statements I have earnestly urged that there rested upon government many responsibilities which affect the moral and spiritual welfare of our people. The participation of women in elections has produced a keener realization of the importance of these questions and has contributed to higher national ideals. Moreover, it is through them that our national ideals are ingrained in our children.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
“Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)