Women are called upon to seek political empowerment as strongly as they were to seek empowerment in other fields.
We are betting on the awareness of the Emirati citizen to promote this great national initiative
The large presence of young voters is an opportunity for them to contribute to serving the country.
His Excellency Dr. Anwar Muhammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, Chairman of the National Elections Commission, said that the wide participation in the elections represents a strong message from citizens to the leadership of their desire to develop the political program and move it forward.
He added during the lecture he delivered at the UAE Writers and Writers Union in Abu Dhabi last night: "The wide participation represents a national interest to enhance our electoral experience, and it should not be viewed as a personal interest, whether for candidates or voters, and it must be circumvented around the big step taken by the state in expanding the electoral bodies." And support it in a way that shows the citizen's interest in developing tools for political participation.
And he continued: "We are betting today on the awareness of the Emirati citizen to promote this great national initiative, and we are very keen on the success of our electoral experience, in both its organizational parts and the rates of participation in it, as the big jump in the number of voters came due to the great success achieved in the 2006 elections, and we are seeking to add a new success." In the 2011 elections, because the continuous success and positive experience establishes a new, more developed stage.
His Excellency Dr. Anwar Gargash said: "Emirati women are called today to turn out strongly towards political empowerment, just as they were on the verge of empowerment in other economic, social and educational fields. Today they constitute 46% of the electoral bodies, and they must seize this golden opportunity, which is the cornerstone of the empowerment process." Women are in the political field, and they must say their word for candidacy and election, and we also hope that Emirati youth will benefit from the great entrance that is provided for them to enter public service and contribute to serving their country, since young people represent 35% of the electorate.
He added, "The UAE's electoral experience, despite its recent history, is based on a long legacy of consultation and cohesion between the leadership and the people. The Federal National Council is one of the institutions that began with the state since the establishment of the federation, and it is the fourth authority in the arrangement of the federation's powers. The approach to consultation in the Emirates is an unconventional approach." It is an emergency for the state, but rather an integral part of its policy, and today the state is following this path by empowering the Federal National Council and enhancing political participation, and we must participate in supporting the steps aimed at empowering the council by showing great interest in it by participating in the elections.
He said: "The awareness-raising process of the electoral process and the state's political program is the responsibility of all national bodies, whether the National Elections Committee, the national media, or civil society institutions, as well as candidates and voters."
His Excellency continued: "We seek, through our electoral experience, to establish a future methodology for the elections based on keeping the interference of the National Elections Committee to its minimum limits, and not interfering except in core and major issues related to the electoral process, so that this approach will be followed in the upcoming sessions."