Sharjah - Sharjah citizens turned out in huge numbers to vote in the historic polls. Other 21 members will be appointed by HH Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.
Published: Mon 1 Feb 2016, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Wed 3 Feb 2016, 8:00 AM
There were loud cheers as the name of each winning candidate of the first-ever election conducted in Sharjah was announced. The counting process for the elections of half the members of the Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC), which started on Sunday evening, went well into the night and the results were announced on Monday afternoon.
Sharjah citizens turned out in huge numbers to exercise their right to vote and elected 21 members to the SCC. The other 21 members will be appointed by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
The election has been hailed as a "milestone" in the nation's history and the emirate recorded an impressive 67 per cent voter turnout, surpassing the election committee's own expectation of a 60 per cent turnout.Under the supervision of the election committee, three polling committees were constituted to oversee the vote counting process.
The SCC elections were held under the slogan of 'Take Part in Decision Making' in accordance with the directives of Dr Shaikh Sultan.
A total of 195 candidates, including 43 women, competed for 21 seats spread across the emirate including Sharjah City, Kalba, Khor Fakkan, Dhaid, Dibba Al Hisn, Bataeh, Maliha, Hamriya, and Madam. Up to 24,952 people above the age of 21, including 13,794 men and 11,158 women, from across the emirate registered to vote.
The total number of votes polled stood at 16,696. The number of male voters stood at 9,694 (58 per cent) while the female voter turnout was recorded at 7,002 (42 per cent).
'More women should have won'
The lone female winner among the 21 candidates voted to the Sharjah Consultative Council has expressed disappointment over the fact that there are no other female winners.
Fatima Al Muhairi, from Al Hamriya, competed against five male candidates and emerged victorious, bagging 33 per cent of the votes.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, she said she was happy, but also disappointed over the lack of other female winners. "I thought there would be other women, as the women in Sharjah support women.
"His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah is very keen on involving women in the decision-making process and will give full support to the women in the emirate," she said.
She expressed pride at winning the seat, saying: "I will never disappoint and fail my people who trusted me. I will do my best to meet their needs and serve the nation through the SCC, the parliamentary body of the emirate."
I would like extend my gratitude to the leadership in the country, Dr. Shaikh Sultan and his wife Shaikha Jawaher Al Qasimi for empowering women and giving Emirati woman a chance to be on par with men in all fields.
She added that she knew she would win the elections because the people believed in her and her ability to handle responsibility. "I will do my best to be powerful and strong and represent the citizens and women," she added.
What the winners say
Mohammed bin Hindi, winner of Sharjah city who picked up 218 votes, expressed his happiness over his winning a seat at the SCC and said he would pledged to do the best to realise the needs of citizen and contribute to the development of Sharjah.
He said he is thankful to the ruler of Sharjah for allowing citizens to participate in decision making. "It's a unique experience and as sons of Sharjah we are proud of it."
Mohammed Omar Yousif another winner who picked up 190 votes, said he cannot express his happiness despite the fact that he was confident of winning. "I will not disappoint those who have selected me. In my opinion winners and losers are all same, they still can participate in decision-making through us. We will do our best to meet their needs and contribute in the emirate's development."
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Female candidates disappointed
Women candidates who lost the elections said they expected more women to make it to SCC, but believe that the win of one woman is a victory for all.
Dr Shaikh Sultan is very much concerned about woman participating in all fields, particularly in decision-making and will not hesitate in appointing more women in the council, they said. Eman Al Hamadi, one of the candidates, said the result came as a shock to her, as she had expected at least two women to win.
Gulaizam Al Rakkad, a woman candidate said she had expected more winners from various cities, but the win of one woman was victory for all women.
'Some voters drew hearts and wrote prayers on ballots'
Mansour bin Nassar, Chairman of Supreme Committee of SCC Elections, said they spent 18 hours continuously to count the votes.
"It has been a great experience, despite the long hours of work. Today, all citizens of Sharjah are celebrating the massive carnival which leads them towards the path of democracy which is one of the main characteristic of a civilised nation. There were only six damaged votes which were considered uncountable, because some of the voters instead of putting the check mark, drew a heart and wrote prayers."
He said only the check mark is accepted by the judge committee,. Any other mark is considered invalid. The committee cancelled all the six votes where other signs were found. The voters drew shapes to express their feelings for the candidate without realising that they were, in fact harming them, he added.
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