After visiting the polling centre for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Saturday, he said democracy has been part of the UAE's heritage "since the time of our fathers and forefathers and we inherited that value with pride and belief in our social, cultural and religious legacy without compromising the rich Arab-Islamic culture".

Voting for Federal National Council concludes in 36 poll stations across the UAE. Follow our live coverage from our reporters across the UAE.

FNC elections saw a total of 79,175 votes with a turnout of 35.29% of the electoral roll across the UAE, said Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Federal National Council Affairs.

"This election process is considered a successful one by all standards," Dr Anwar Gargash.

Muscat: Oman is fully prepared for the 2015-2019 Shura Council election, to be held on October 25 through unprecedented public electoral campaigns.

Authorities will allow candidates to use any means to campaign, as per electoral regulations.

Electoral signs and banners of candidates are a common scene in Muscat and other provinces.

Hilal Al Wuhaibi, a candidate from Mutrah province, said that he put up more than five campaign posters in Mutrah in the hopes of reaching a wider audience.

“I used Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook [to campaign],” said Al Wuhaibi.

Political tension in Turkey's domestic politics was amply reflected in the opening of the new legislative year in Parliament on Thursday, with no opposition party leader present as the president addressed Parliament.

Deputies from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) left Parliament when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took the floor to deliver his speech on the occasion of the opening session.

A battle of words sometimes took place between some other opposition deputies and Erdoğan during his speech.

Muscat: In high spirits and with a relentless pursuit to compete in the next Shura Council election in Oman, to be held on October 25, Balqees Al Nadabi, one of the 20 women vying for seats in the election nationwide, is ready for the race.

She is among 10 candidates of Baushar province in Muscat for the next election, but faces stiff competition from Mohammad Al Busaidi, a popular former member of the Shura from her constituency, who is also a candidate for the next elections.

Fawad Ali.-

After signing an agreement to join the government, the Qaumi Watan Party is poised to become the strongest coalition partner of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. It also stands to gain a ministry or two in the bargain.

Justice and Development Party (AKP) Vice Chairman Mehmet Ali Şahin’s suggestion that Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) does not have the authority to move polling stations is correct, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Secretary-General Gürsel Tekin has said.

“I congratulate Mehmet Ali Şahin on his status as a legal expert. There is, for the first time, a correct voice from the AKP,” Tekin told the Hürriyet Daily News on Oct. 2. 

“I agree with what [Şahin] has said. The constitution is clear. The YSK cannot take such a decision,” he added. 

A total of  6,140 men and women candidates will contest the third municipal elections to be held on Dec. 12, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and published Wednesday by Makkah daily.

The report said the candidates consist of 5,275 men and 865 women who are participating for the first time as voters and candidates.

According to the report, Asir Province has 47 men but no women candidates. With 1,061 contenders, Riyadh region has the largest number of candidates consisting of 899 men and 162 women.