Abu Dhabi, July 18, 2011: His Excellency Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the National Elections Commission, confirmed that the wise leadership believes that the empowerment program launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him It takes into account the requirements of modernizing and developing political participation, taking into account ensuring the stability of the state and enhancing its great developmental achievements.
He added in a press statement he issued today: “As we head towards the nomination stage for the 2011 Federal National Council elections, there is no doubt that we notice a big leap in the size and content of the electoral process, and this jump is the best evidence of the success of the Empowerment Program of His Highness the President of the State to involve citizens in the political process and modernize Political participation tools, through gradual stages, so that each stage builds on the success of the previous stage.
He said: "Perhaps the events taking place in a number of Arab regions are clear evidence of the validity of the UAE's choice, and that the Empowerment Program came at the right time by strengthening the Emirati march with a political component that contributes positively to laying firm and stable foundations for the future, as the program's philosophy lies in continuous development." And the gradual one, which is based on studying each stage and building on it and developing perceptions for the stages that follow.
His Excellency Dr. Anwar Gargash continued: “In this context, there are many qualitative and quantitative indicators that bode well, among which we mention the significant and noticeable increase in the number of electoral bodies, which achieved a quantum leap to reach approximately 130,000 voters compared to no more than 7,000 voters in the elections. And any fair follower can only stop in front of these large numbers, which represent a large part of the country's citizens who are over the age of twenty-one years, and the numbers of the electoral bodies are honestly considered a quantum leap in the electoral process and represent a positive indicator of the political leadership's support for this pioneering step. Therefore, this year's elections will be completely different from the 2006 elections, which were the beginning of an ambitious program by a leader who sincerely seeks to support and strengthen the federal experience."
His Excellency Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash said: "The figures published on the percentage of women and youth participation in electoral bodies indicate the great maturity witnessed by the Emirati experience. On the one hand, these figures express the natural balance in society, and on the other hand, they represent a true mirror of the nature of social mobility and the success of the Tamkeen experience." Women in the state, in addition to the fact that the social and functional reality follows the same conclusion. Women play a major role in our daily lives, and they have succeeded in enriching the experience of this society, and young people have begun to carry the torch of the federal march with confidence and competence, and the presence of these two groups in the electoral lists is a positive expression. expected in our society.
And he continued: "The great expansion of the electoral bodies carries with it a great organizational challenge that we are facing and preparing for, and we strive through hard work for the elections to be organized and transparent and express a civilized experience, which is in its summary the experience of the United Arab Emirates, and here we must express thanks and appreciation for the support The great work presented by all government agencies, led by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and the team of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs.
His Excellency Dr. Anwar Muhammad Gargash said: "There is no doubt that the coming period will witness some observations about the absence of some names from the electoral lists. We received such observations in 2006, and the big difference is that in this particular experience we are talking about a clear development in the size and content of the political process, and from From this point of view, we must not reduce the electoral experience to the presence of this name or the absence of that name, as it is a national experience, as a result of which we seek to establish an inclusive political participation that is consistent with the UAE's experience and moves away from partisanship, sectarianism and tribalism.
And he went on to say: "From this point of view, our view of the progress and development of matters must be a comprehensive one, whose priorities are to support and develop the nation's experience and ultimately reach an expression that supports and enhances political participation and moves away from experiences that divide one society and separate its people and are not consistent with the path of development and stability in it." .
He said: "It is necessary to point out, with pride, the great interest that we have begun to hear echoes about the electoral process, and we expect in the coming period and through the scheduled timetable an honorable competition between many gentlemen and women who will be running in the middle of next month, and we expect that the electoral campaigns will be a national occasion A university and an opportunity to raise the issues of the homeland and the citizen, and through this political and social movement, the national experience will be enriched and its role strengthened.
His Excellency the Minister concluded his statement: "What is being built carefully represents a supportive and tributary program for the renaissance that the UAE is witnessing, and we must all stand with this experience, build on it, strengthen it and develop it in preparation for future benefits."