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Make your vote count: Khalifa

ABU DHABI — The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Tuesday called upon members of the electoral colleges to ensure a wide-ranging and active participation in the elections to the Federal National Council. The higher the turnout the more successful will be the exercise.

Addressing the nation ahead of the second Federal National Elections on September 24, the President said: “Our citizens are the key element in the development and progress of the country, and each one should be a partner in the shaping of the future of the nation as well as being part of its policy so that they guarantee the nation a bright future.”

Commenting on the faith and trust reposed in the FNC, he said: “We have to walk into the future, have a clear vision and make sure that we empower the Federal National Council. The upcoming elections are the perfect opportunity for us to take a major step towards this goal.”

He reiterated his confidence in the process by saying: “It will be achieved, God willing, with your efforts”.

Shaikh Khalifa also indicated that since the establishment of the Federal National Council in 1972, it has worked tirelessly to establish the proper relationship between the government and the people in the United Arab Emirates.

He said: “it continues to be the strong platform for political participation and positive impact on the decision-making process in the country, and this has inspired our unflagging interest in enabling it and activating its role so that it will become the authority which supports and guides the country’s executive authority”.

Commenting pertinently on the nation’s involvement in the governing process, Shaikh Khalifa clarified: “Not a single phase along the march towards building the country was devoid of the existence of consultative councils working together with the country’s leadership which has always believed in the importance of people’s participation in the decision making process.”

The President also underscored the maturity with which the FNC and the electoral procedures have evolved when he said: “since 2006 we started a new experience for the election of half the members of the Council with the faith that a wide based participation is an integral part of the progress of the country and plays a vital role in the comprehensive development that we witness around us in all fields and disciplines”.

Shaikh Khalifa also expressed the UAE’s single-minded determination to consolidate a new phase of development, aspire to greater achievements and uphold and strengthen its position among the comity of nations on the global stage. —With Wam