2015 Emirati parliamentary election
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A parliamentary election was held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 3 October 2015 to elect the half of the members of the 16th Chapter of the Federal National Council, and appoint the other half of the members. The electoral college was expanded from 129,274 members in 2011 to 224,279 in 2015, which was the third parliamentary election held in the country.[1]
On election day, 36 voting centers were opened nationwide. Nine of those voting centers opened for early voting on September 28, 29 and 30. Overseas voters were able to cast their vote for the first time in 94 voting centers in the UAE Embassies worldwide on September 20 and 21.[2] Overall 79,157 voters casted their vote, making a turnout of 35.29%.[3]
Electoral system
At the time of the election the 40-member Federal National Council had 20 indirectly-elected members and 20 appointed members. The 20 elected members were elected by seven electoral colleges; the colleges of Abu Dhabi and Dubai elected four members, the colleges of Sharjah and Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah elected three, and the colleges of Ajman, Fujairah and Umm al-Quwain elected two.[4] Only around a third of Emirati citizens (who themselves are around 12% of the country's population) were members of the electoral colleges.[5]
Following changes to the electoral system, the election was held using single non-transferable vote, meaning voters could only vote for one candidate in their emirate, irrespective of the number of seats.[4] Overseas voting was allowed for the first time.[6]
Campaign
A total of 330 candidates contested the election, of which 252 were men and 78 women.[7] Campaigning was allowed between 6 and 30 September.[8]
Results
Of the twenty elected members, 19 were men and one a woman,[9] Naama Al Sharhan, who was elected in Ras al-Khaimah. Voter turnout was 35%, up from 26% in the 2011 elections, and ranged from 70% in Umm al-Quwain to 22.1% in Dubai.[10]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independents | 20 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | – | – | |
| Total | 79,157 | 20 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 224,279 | 35.29 | – |
| Source: IPU | |||
Elected members
| Emirate | Elected members | Votes received |
|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | Khalifa al-Mazrouei | 2,167 |
| Mattar al-Shamsi | 1,634 | |
| Saeed al-Remeithi | 1,597 | |
| Saleh al-Ameri | 1,382 | |
| Ajman | Hamad al-Ghafli | 723 |
| Salem Abdullah al-Shamsi | 458 | |
| Dubai | Hamad al-Rahoomi | 2,076 |
| Marwan bin Ghalita | 961 | |
| Khalid al-Falasi | 722 | |
| Jamal al-Hai | 672 | |
| Fujairah | Mohammed al-Yammahi | 912 |
| Ahmed al-Hamoudi | 546 | |
| Ras al-Khaimah | Salem al-Shehhi | 2,037 |
| Ahmed al-Nuaimi | 1,358 | |
| Naama al-Sharhan | 1,004 | |
| Sharjah | Jasim al-Naqbi | 787 |
| Salem al-Shamsi | 644 | |
| Mohammed al-Katbi | 519 | |
| Umm al-Quwain | Khalfan al-Ali | 381 |
| Obaid al-Ali | 372 | |
| Source: The National | ||
References
- ^ UAE set for FNC election Khaleej Times, 2 October 2015
- ^ Federal National Council Elections 2015 MFNCA, 2015
- ^ "79,157ألف ناخب يشاركون في انتخابات المجلس الوطني الاتحادي بنسبة بلغت 35.29". UAE National Electoral Commission, 3 October 2015.
- ^ a b Electoral system IPU
- ^ Voting is a privilege that I intend to exercise wisely The National, 1 October 2015
- ^ Last elections IPU
- ^ Breakdown: 2015 FNC election results The National, 5 October 2015
- ^ When and how FNC elections will be held Emirates 24/7, 5 June 2015
- ^ Last elections IPU
- ^ National Elections Committee: voter turnout reasonable considering ‘lack of pressure’ in UAE The National, 4 October 2015
