Sharjah to elect half of its consultative council

Source: 
Gulf News
Publication date: 
Jun 09 2015

Sharjah: The Sharjah Consultative Council will see half of its 42 members elected in the upcoming term, His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, announced Tuesday.

Speaking live to Sharjah Radio, Dr Shaikh Sultan said that 21 of the members of the Council will be elected, while the other 21 will be appointed by the ruler, adding that the law setting up the council will soon be amended to introduce the new changes. Currently, all the members of the council are appointed by the ruler. The council holds its last session this term tomorrow, Thursday.

“The decision will be made by citizens [of the emirate]. They are the decision-makers,” he said. He congratulated Sharjah on this new step, and expressed hope that the emirate will continue to take steps similar to those witnessed on the federal level, referring to the election of half the members of the Federal National Council (FNC)
“Half of the council’s members will be appointed in order to address any shortcomings that might result from the elections, such as if the minimum number of seven women members is not met or in case the council requires experienced members with special expertise,” he said.

Those running for the council elections must be citizens of Sharjah and at least 25 years old.

Dr Shaikh Sultan also spoke about Emiratis affected by loans. He said that Sharjah is unconditionally settling the debts of Emiratis, and expressed hope that youth would think carefully before applying for loans.