2019 Emirati parliamentary election

Last updated

2019 Emirati parliamentary election
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
  2015 5 October 2019 2023  

20 of the 40 seats in the Federal National Council
Turnout34.81% (Decrease2.svg 0.48pp)
PartySeats+/–
Independents 200
Speaker beforeSpeaker after
Amal Al Qubaisi Saqr Ghobash

Parliamentary elections were held in the United Arab Emirates on 5 October 2019 to elect 20 of the 40 members of the Federal National Council. As there were no political parties at the time of the elections, all candidates ran as independents.

Contents

The elections took place through an electoral college, the membership of which was expanded from 224,279 in 2015 to 337,738 in 2019. [1]

Electoral system

The Federal National Council consists of 40 members, 20 of whom are appointed by the rulers of each emirate. [2] [3] and 20 are elected by single non-transferable vote in seven electoral colleges based on the emirates. The colleges of Abu Dhabi and Dubai elects four members each, the colleges of Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah three each, and the colleges of Ajman, Fujairah and Umm al-Quwain two each. [4] Voters can vote for only one candidate in their emirate. [5]

In December 2018, President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a directive that half the members of the Council should be women. [6]

Under the constitution of the United Arab Emirates, "each emirate shall be free to determine the method of selecting the citizens representing it in the Federal National Council". The rulers of each emirate decides who will be able to vote; [7] the total number of voters has increased at each election, with an objective that all citizens will be able to vote in the future. [8]

On election day, 39 voting centers were opened in the UAE, nine of which had been open for early voting on 1–3 October. Overseas voters were able to vote in UAE embassies on 22–23 September. [9]

Campaign

A total of 479 candidates contested the elections. [10]

Results

A total of 117,592 votes were cast, giving a voter turnout of 34.81%. The number of votes cast increased by 48.5% compared to the 2015 elections. [11]

The UAE has a 50% quota system for women in parliament. Therefore 50% of all parliament seats are reserved for women. As a result of the quota system, seven of the 20 elected members were women, [12] although the sole incumbent elected female MP Naama al-Sharhan failed to win re-election in Ras al-Khaimah. [13] To achieve gender parity, 13 of the 20 appointed members were women. [12]

PartyVotes%Seats
Independents20
Total20
Total votes117,592
Registered voters/turnout337,73834.82
Source: The National

Elected members

EmirateElected membersVotesNotes
Abu Dhabi Suhail al-Affari2,624
Khalfan al-Shamsi2,495
Naema al-Mansouri444
Moaza al-Amri370
Dubai Hamad al-Rahoumi1,517Re-elected
Osama al-Shafar1,032
Mariam Bin Thania374
Sarah Filknaz333
Sharjah Humaid al-Shamsi1,227
Adnan al-Hammadi985
Obaid al-Ghoul947
Ras al-Khaimah Yousef al-Shihhi2,569
Saeed al-Abdi1,649
Ahmad al-Shihhi1,501
Ajman Ahmad Suwaidi680
Hind al-Olayli114
Fujairah Mohammed al-Yammahi2,160Re-elected
Sabreen al-Yamahi955
Umm al-Quwain Mohammed al-Kashef919
Athra Bin Rakkad270
Source: The National

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the United Arab Emirates</span> Aspect of history

The United Arab Emirates is a country in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula located on the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman. The UAE consists of seven emirates and was founded on 2 December 1971 as a federation, after UK armed forces left the region. Six of the seven emirates declared their union on 2 December 1971. The seventh, Ras al Khaimah, joined the federation on 10 February 1972. The seven sheikdoms were formerly known as the Trucial States, in reference to the truce treaties established with the British in the 19th century.

Politics of the United Arab Emirates take place in a framework of a federal presidential elective constitutional monarchy. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven constituent monarchies: the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Arab Emirates</span> Country in West Asia

The United Arab Emirates, or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while also having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. Abu Dhabi is the nation's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah</span> Emirate and one of the constituents of the United Arab Emirates

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The city of Ras Al Khaimah, abbreviated to RAK or RAK City, is the capital of the emirate and home to most of the emirate's residents. It is linked to the Islamic trading port of Julfar. Its name in English means "headland of the tent". The emirate borders Oman's exclave of Musandam, and occupies part of the same peninsula. It covers an area of 2,486 km2 (960 sq mi) and has 64 km (40 mi) of beach coastline. As of 2015, the emirate had a population of about 345,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal National Council</span>

The Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an advisory quasi-parliamentary body in the UAE. The FNC consists of 40 members. Twenty of the members are indirectly elected by the hand-picked 33% of Emirati citizens who have voting rights through an electoral college, while the other twenty are appointed by the rulers of each emirate. According to Reuters, "the process of selecting the people who can either elect or be elected is opaque."

Parliamentary elections were held for the first time in the United Arab Emirates between 16 and 20 December 2006 to elect half of the 40 members of Federal National Council. Voting took place in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on 16 December, in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah on 18 December, and in Sharjah, Ajman and Umm Al Quwain on 20 December.

The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides a legal and political framework for the operation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a federation of seven emirates. The Constitution came into effect on 2 December 1971 and was permanently accepted in July 1996. Authored by Adi Bitar, a forming judge and legal advisor, the Constitution is written in 10 parts and has 152 Articles. The United Arab Emirates celebrates the formation of the Union as National Day.

The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs is the federal ministry of the United Arab Emirates responsible for coordinating elections for the Federal National Council, and disseminating information surrounding parliamentary activities. The ministry was founded multi-phased and gradual political reform process by Federal Decree No. (10)/2006, headed by Anwar Gargash, in early 2006. The ministry’s founding came after the National Action Program announced by the then president, Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to mark the 34th anniversary of the establishment of the UAE.

Parliamentary elections were held in the United Arab Emirates on 24 September 2011 to elect the half of the members of Federal National Council. The elections were held using electoral colleges, which were expanded from around 6,689 members in the 2006 elections to 129,274. However, only 35,877 voters voted, with a voter turnout of 27.75%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Day (United Arab Emirates)</span> National day celebrated on 21 December

UAE National Day is celebrated on 2 December each year in the United Arab Emirates. The seventh emirate, Ras al Khaimah, was added to the federation on 10 February 1972 making it the last emirate (state) to join.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher Colleges of Technology</span>

The Higher Colleges of Technology(HCT) (Arabic: كليّات التقنيّة العليا) is a public institute of technology with 16 campuses and facilities throughout the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1988 by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, it is the largest applied higher educational institution in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi</span> Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi is the current ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. He became the chief of the ruler’s Emiri court in 1979, the head of the Municipal Council in 1986, and the Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of the Emirate in June 2003. Then, he officially became the ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in 2010 after his father’s death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bahraini general election</span>

General elections were held in Bahrain in November 2014 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting took place on 22 November, with a second round on 29 November in the 34 constituencies in which no candidate received a majority.

Parliamentary elections were held in the United Arab Emirates on 3 October 2015 to elect 20 of the 40 members of the Federal National Council. The elections took place through an electoral college, which was expanded from 129,274 members in the 2011 elections to 224,279 for the 2015 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed Bin Musallam Bin Ham Al-Ameri</span> Businessman, author and former UAE Federal National Council member

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Musallam Bin Ham Al-Ameri is an Emirati billionaire businessman, author and former UAE Federal National Council member. He is the Deputy Secretary-General of the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition (IIMSAM), Deputy Chairman of the Bin Ham Group and Member of Al Ain Municipal Council. He is the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Emsam Organization. He has pledged half of his wealth to charity through The Giving Pledge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ras Al Khaimah</span> Capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain and Ajman. The city is divided by a creek into two parts: old town in the west and Al Nakheel in the east.

Maysa Rashed Ghadeer is an Emirati educator, writer and politician. In 2007 she was one of the first group of women to enter the Federal National Council.

Nidal Mohamed bin Shirbak Al Tunaiji is an Emirati academic and politician. In 2007 she was one of the first group of women to enter the Federal National Council.

Parliamentary elections were held in the United Arab Emirates on 7 October 2023 to elect 20 of the 40 members of the Federal National Council. As political parties are banned in the UAE, all candidates run as independents.

References

  1. FNC candidate registration centres launched Gulf News, 7 August 2019
  2. "A vote for the country's future". gulfnews.com. September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  3. "About the Federal National Council". khaleejtimes.com. 4 July 2011. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  4. Electoral system IPU
  5. Federal National Council elections: how to vote The National, 30 September 2019
  6. Sheikh Khalifa: UAE's Federal National Council to be 50 per cent women The National, 8 December 2018
  7. "البوابة الرسمية لحكومة الإمارات العربية المتحدة". www.government.ae. Archived from the original on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  8. The Political System of the UAE Archived 2010-05-03 at the Wayback Machine Government of the United Arab Emirates
  9. FNC election, everything you need to know Gulf News, 30 September 2019
  10. The nation votes: residents head to polling stations for landmark FNC elections The National, 5 October 2019
  11. "اللجنة الوطنية للانتخابات تعلن النتائج الأولية للفائزين في انتخابات المجلس الوطني الاتحادي 2019". UAE National Electoral Commission, 6 October 2019.
  12. 1 2 Newly elected members of Federal National Council revealed The National, 6 October 2019
  13. Election results National Election Commission