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Election dates for UAE's Federal National Council announced

Abu Dhabi - Over 337,738 Emiratis will vote during the polls.

Emiratis will begin voting to elect their next parliamentarians on September 22, the National Elections Committee (NEC) announced on Monday. Overseas voting for the fourth election cycle of the Federal National Council (FNC) will be held on September 22-23. The main election will happen on October 5 and the results of the preliminary count will be announced on the same day.
Over 337,738 Emiratis will vote during the polls, marking a 50.58 per cent increase from 224,281 electoral college members in 2015. Of these, women constitute 50.62 per cent. Earlier, the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a decree that would ensure that half of the seats in the FNC would be reserved for women in the upcoming legislative cycle.
An early voting will be held on October 1 to 3 to allow voters to cast their ballot before the official election deadline. "Early voting helps increase participation and gives voters more flexibility to cast their votes at their convenience - especially those with conditions that prevent them from performing their electoral duties," the NEC said.
For the first time, the FNC polls will not see any 'election silence' that usually prevents candidates from campaigning 48 hours before voting begins. This new initiative aims at enhancing the candidate-voter relations and improve outreach and engagement.
According to the committee, the candidate registration process begins on August 7 - nearly two months before the main election date. The registration at polling stations will take place for five days from August 18. A preliminary list of candidates will be announced on August 25. "The NEC will receive objections against candidates over the next three days and will reply to them by September 1. The final list of candidates will be announced on September 3, while the names of the candidate representatives should be presented on September 4, according to the terms set out in the executive regulations."
Candidates will launch their election campaigns on September 8 and the deadline for candidate withdrawal has been set at September 15.
After the preliminary results are announced, candidates have till October 8 to register appeals. "The committee will reply to these appeals on October 9-10. The final list of elected candidates will be announced on October 13 unless supplementary elections are held," the NEC added.
Promoting awareness
Abdulrahman bin Mohamed Al Owais, Minister of State for FNC Affairs and Chairman of the NEC, said the early announcement of the election timeline "establishes a transparent relationship with all parties involved, especially voters". "It enhances their awareness about the electoral process and paves the way for effective participation. This step will go a long way in ensuring the success of the fourth elections cycle that witnesses significant interest and growth in the number of electoral bodies."
App launched
The NEC has launched a new smart app that is available on iOS and Android platforms. It offers voters comprehensive information about the next cycle of elections. Emiratis will also get regular updates about the elections on www.uaenec.ae and its social media pages.
The committee has also launched a call centre (600500005).
More power to  you: remember these dates
>August 7: Candidate registration at application centres
>August 18: Candidate registration at polling stations
>August 25: Announcement of preliminary list of candidates
>September 3: Announcement of final list of candidates
>September 8: Candidates will launch their election campaigns
>September 22-23: Overseas voting
October 1 to 3: Early voting
October 5: Main election day and announcement of preliminary results
October 13: Announcement of elected candidates
reporters@khaleejtimes.com