A voter being greeted as he arrives to cast his vote at DWTC, Dubai, on Tuesday.
Sharjah - Day 2 of polls in Sharjah sees good turnout from youth and people with special needs.
Published: Wed 30 Sep 2015, 12:00 AM
Last updated: Thu 1 Oct 2015, 9:00 AM
Voters in Sharjah have called for penalising Federal National Council (FNC) candidates if they fail to fulfil the promises make in their election agendas.
The second day of early voting for the FNC elections witnessed a good turnout from the youth and people with special needs.
Gargash hails election volunteers as unsung heroes
Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of FNC Affairs, has hailed the volunteers of FNC elec-tions as "unsung heroes".In comments he made to Khaleej Times as he visited the Sharjah voting centre, he said the election process in the emirate is well organised.
"All facilities have been provided to the voters and can-didates to make the election process a success."He pointed out that the early voting process offers flexibility to vot-ers and will reduce the pressure on the day of voting on October 3.
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Young male and female voters said they would vote for young candidates as "they will play a great role" in solving all youth-related issues like employment, housing, education and opportunity to participate in the country's development process.
A voter, Amina Al Kutabi, said her vote went for a candidate, who she believed, would work towards empowerment of youth and women.
"I read his election agenda, in which he promised to improve employment numbers of the youth. He said he would fight to amend the women retirement law and call for work flexibility," said Al Kutabi. A voter from Al Dhaid said previous members of the FNC made promises, but "failed to deliver on many of them".
"I voted for a candidate who I believe can do something good, because he didn't make any promises; he just said he will do whatever he can for the people."
Rasheeda Al Nuaimi, another voter, said candidates must be penalised if they fail to convey the concerns of the people to the FNC.
Shaikha Alia Al Mualla from the Sharjah royal family said elected representatives must be aware of their responsibilities.
Don't influence voters as they vote, candidates told
Mansoor bin Nassar, Chairman of the Election Committee in Shar-jah, warned candidates against influencing voters as they vote. He said action will be taken against candidates or their supporters if they try to change opinions of voters outside polling booths.
"Those indulging in this will be referred to the police for legal ac-tion," he said.Penalty for violations can range from warnings, fines and even removal from the candidate list.He said no such violations have been reported so far.
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Candidate-speak
Meanwhile, two FNC candidates said their role is to convey the message of the people to the FNC. "Our duty is consultative and executive, execution is not in our hands," said Mohammed Ali Al Kutbi.
Candidates from Al Madam, Malaiha and Al Dhaid called for establishing women and children hospitals in their areas. They said the sole reason they are running for elections is to push for the hospitals. They envision specialised services like the ones being offered in Dubai's Latifa Hospital.
Mohammed Mattar Al Kutabi, a candidate from Al Madam area, told Khaleej Times that pregnant women from his area are suffering as they have to travel long distances for maternity services.
Mohammed Saif Al Kutabi, a candidate from Malaiha, talked of a similar problem in his area. "At least one hospital to serve these three areas (Al Madam, Malaiha and Al Dhaid) will save lives."
Mohammed bin Gashim, a candidate from Al Dhaid, said he will work with other candidates to push for improving the healthcare services in the three areas.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com
FNC candidates Matar Obaid Shabani, Mohammed bin Gashim and Mohammed Ali Saif at the polling station at the Sharjah Chess Club.
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