The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA) organised an interactive seminar at the Dubai Youth Hub, and in collaboration with the Federal youth Authority (FYA), about ‘The Stages of the Electoral Process’.
The event forms part of the Electoral Process Journey digital initiative, which aims to promote a culture of political participation and raise the youth’s political awareness.
Young attendees explored the various stages that the electoral process goes through, from forming and announcing the National Election Committee (NEC), to outlining the NEC’s mission and tasks within the electoral process, monitoring the elections, announcing the electoral colleges and the election timeline with every stage, along with important dates. The meeting also covered notable electoral milestones and achievements.
MFNCA Undersecretary His Excellency Tariq Hilal Lootah said: “Raising the youth’s awareness about the electoral process and listening to their opinions and suggestions is a top priority for us at the Ministry, in line with the directives of our wise leadership to educate and prepare a new generation that is aware of our national achievements and able to take the lead in the political development process in the UAE. This, in turn, aligns with the objectives of the Political Empowerment Program, launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.”
“We are happy to be working with the Federal Youth Authority on this initiative to raise political awareness among young people and future leaders,” H.E. Lootah added. “It is a platform that allows us to create new channels to communicate directly and consistently the youth – the largest segment in our community. Exploring their opinions and suggestions through this initiative will be a notable addition to our efforts, particularly when it comes to promoting a culture of political participation on a larger scale and building a parliamentary model based on active participation.”
For his part, H.E. Saeed Al Nazari, Director General of the Federal Youth Authority, said: “Our approach for working with the youth is based on empowering and qualifying a generation of young leaders in every field. This includes the parliamentary sector, which is key for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development, in line with the aspirations of our wise leadership for our country to be a world leader by every measure.”
“These interactive seminars are a great opportunity to spread the culture of political participation among our youth and enhance their awareness of parliamentary life – an area where the UAE truly stands out,” H.E. Al Nazari noted. “The sessions offer a platform for the youth to come forward with their ideas, which we can then use to advance our efforts to spread political awareness on a larger scale in the community. Ultimately, we strive to have a youth with deep knowledge of parliamentary processes to play a part in protecting our national achievements, help take the political development process to new heights, and fulfil our aspirations to be the best in every field.”
The seminar explored how the sub-committees under the National Election Committee’s umbrella are formed and examined the procedures related to the candidacy process. It also covered topics such as announcing the final list of candidates, candidacy campaigns and relevant procedures, voting abroad, early voting, election day, announcing preliminary results, and affirming the final list of winners (unless by-elections are required).
The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs had cooperated with the Federal Youth Authority on a series of Youth Circles to listen to young people’s ideas, observations, and suggestions for developing and promoting a culture of political participation in society. The events sought to raise their awareness about the role of the Federal National Council, parliamentary procedures in the UAE, and the electoral process in the Emirates.