Women first to enter FNC election fray

Dubai - Mariam Almajar Al Nuaimi from Sharjah was the first to sign up for the FNC's candidacy at 8am.

Emiratis began submitting their paperwork to register their candidacies for October's Federal National Council (FNC) elections at centres throughout the UAE on Sunday.
The first to register was a female candidate in Sharjah.
"In a civilised, honourable way, an Emirati woman from Sharjah was the first to sign up for the FNC's candidacy at 8am," Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and Chairman of the National Election Committee (NEC), tweeted on Sunday morning.
The woman, Mariam Almajar Al Nuaimi, a media consultant with the Ministry of Public Works in Dubai, told Khaleej Times she hopes to encourage more of the UAE's women to participate in the political process.
"I had the determination to be number one, as our leaders, such as His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, are in love with the number one," she said. "(I also want) to motivate women and encourage them to participate in elections.
"I have always conducted surveys with people to get to know their aspirations and hopes. I've field work and I will be close to the people to convey their aspirations to senior leadership in parliament."
Sunday saw 102 people register for the polls across the UAE, including 14 women.
Registration is open for any member of the UAE's electoral college, which has 224,279 members this time - a 66 per cent increase from 2011's pool of 135,308 potential candidates.
Speaking at the registration centre in Dubai World Trade Centre, Dr Gargash said the registered candidates will likely represent a wide cross-section of Emirati society.
"I have no idea (how many), but I think we will get quite a lot of candidates," he said. "I think some are going to be well-known public figures, and some will be people who are interested in public life and public service. For them, this is an avenue that opens them up for public service."
Dr Gargash noted that women and young people are particularly well represented in this year's electoral pool. "There are 40 per cent women among the election base, and 40 per cent who are ... from the youth category," he said. "This should be reflected in the nominees and hopefully in the composition of the FNC."
Speaking later in the day at another registration centre in Abu Dhabi, Dr Gargash said he expects the emirate to have about the same number of candidates as in 2011 - 116. "Nominations are not an indication of successful elections for us, though," he said.
Among the female candidates to register was Laila Al Jassmi, the founder and CEO of Health Beyond Borders, a Dubai-based medical advisory firm.
Al Jassmi told Khaleej Times that she hoped to be elected to the FNC to enact healthcare reforms in the UAE. "I have a plan for healthcare, as I have over 23 years of experience in the healthcare sector and government," she said. "With my experience in healthcare, I'm hoping I can (bring) ... some changes in the healthcare system in the UAE."
Another newly registered candidate, Hamad Abdallah bin Hamad, said he wants to "prepare young Emiratis for the future".
"My focus and ... programme will be on the new generation. I will be focusing on how to develop them, how to convince them to be in business," he said. "We'll focus on trade and economics, and how to do things related to business. If we start with knowledge, we'll generate profit."
The NEC will announce a preliminary list of candidates on August 23. A final list will be announced on August 31 and voting is scheduled for October 3.
Early voting in the UAE will take place on September 28 and 30 and citizens abroad can vote at UAE embassies on September 20 and 21.
bernd@khaleejtimes.com
TABLE
Emirate-wise distribution of potential candidates
Abu Dhabi 90,408
Dubai 53,568
Sharjah 31,766
Ras Al Khaimah 27,455
Fujairah 10,887
Ajman 6,090
Umm Al Quwain 4,105
Total 224,279