Abu Dhabi: Strong competition, financial capacity and the time-consuming process were among the reasons behind some of the applicants stepping down from contesting for a seat at the Federal National Council (FNC).
The National Election Committee (NEC) announced this week that 12 candidates stepped down from the FNC race, of whom seven are from the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Gulf News spoke to two Emiratis who are no longer making their case to UAE citizens on their eligibility to become a FNC member.
Salama Al Mansouri, who works for Abu Dhabi Police, told Gulf News that casting only one vote per candidate minimises applicants’ chances to be a part of the Federal National Council.
“In previous editions, people could vote for four different people; however, elections this year only allow for one vote per person, which makes it tough and also competitive to be a part of the council,” she explained.
“In addition, not only do you need to be highly qualified in terms of your educational career path, but your financial capacity is also fundamental. One needs to spend a lot of money to be able to inaugurate a successful political campaign and win people’s votes, which is another challenge for a few members,” she said.
Salama also added that having more than one member running from the same family can complicate voters’ decision and may leave them reluctant to opt for the right candidate.
Echoing similar observations, another candidate, who did not want to be named, said that the process can certainly be a financial burden.
“Aside from the fact that a political campaign can cost a lot of money, the process of trying to launch one in the first place is also quite time-consuming,” he explained.
“Abu Dhabi City Municipality has partnered with three different advertising agencies, which made me think that my choices are limited. Also, a candidate only has three weeks to embark on their political campaign. By the time I go through the three different agencies and see which one is suitable, a lot of my time would have already been taken up,” he added.
The NEC urged all candidates to comply with their rules and regulations when it comes to their political campaigns, and reminded citizens to check whether they are among the nearly 224,000 eligible voters on the electoral rolls across the emirates.
Names of eligible voters can be found at the NEC’s portal (www.uaenec.ae), or by calling the toll-free number 600 500 005, or downloading the FNC application from Google Play or Apple Store.
Maisoon Mubarak is a trainee at Gulf News.
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