Remarkable voter turnout on day one of Sharjah Council polls

Voting for the Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC) elections got off to a spirited start on Tuesday, both online at the dedicated website www.eccs.shj.ae and in-person, at nine polling centres spread across the emirate.

Day one of the polling saw a remarkable response from voters. It proceeded smoothly with world-class facilities following the global best practices of transparency and accuracy, having been set in place as directed by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

Some 51,637 male and female voters representing the nine electoral districts in the Emirate of Sharjah began voting early on Tuesday to choose 25 candidates, representing half of the seats of the Sharjah Consultative Council, from a list of 193 candidates from various cities and regions of the Emirate.

They can exercise their ballot within minutes by using their digital identity of "UAE PASS.” Once their identity is approved, the system allows them to choose their candidate within the list of names according to the electoral district they belong.

The voters successfully conclude the process by confirming the choice of their candidate.

As soon as the voting began at 8:00, the dedicated election website, www.eccs.shj.ae, witnessed significant traffic of voters or citizens of the emirate registered with the relevant electoral districts. The polling will continue for three days until 20:00 on Dec.7, 2023.

Besides electronic voting, the designated voting centres throughout the Emirate also witnessed enthusiastic responses from the citizenry, with voters, both individuals and families, arriving in droves to vote in person. Sharjah’s citizens can vote using their  ID cards over three days for 12 hours a day from 8:00 to 20:00.

There are nine accredited voting centres spread across the emirate, which are Sharjah City: Sharjah Chess Club; Al Hamriyah Region: Al Hamriyah District Municipality; Al Dhaid City: Al Bustan District Council; Mleiha Area: Mleiha Cultural and Sports Club; Al Madam District: Al Madam District Municipality; Al-Bataeh District: Al-Bataeh District Municipality; Khor Fakkan City: Expo Centre Khor Fakkan; Kalba City: Kalba Neighbourhoods City Council; Dibba Al-Hisn: Dibba Al-Hisn City Council.

"This reflects the awareness of the people of the Emirate of Sharjah about the importance of participating in developing the future of the emirate and becoming part of decision-making following the vision and directives of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.”

Established in 1999, the SCC witnessed a dramatic shift in 2015 when the Sharjah leadership decided to allocate half of the Council seats for direct elections.

The Council contributes to directing the emirate's policies towards a sustainable and prosperous future, and its interactive parliamentary role reflects the aspirations of society and citizens' participation in decision-making.

Historic Elections

Al Jarwan stressed that the historic electoral experience in Sharjah has demonstrated its worth and unique distinction. "Although this is only the third election, the other two being held in 2015 and 2019, that the Emirate is conducting, it has contributed to consolidating the electoral culture and enhancing the outcomes of the Sharjah Consultative Council, keeping pace with the rapid growth of the Emirate and supporting its directions in enhancing the quality of life for its people.”

He stressed that the Election Management Committee has spared no effort to ensure that the elections for the SCC meet the highest standards of excellence and transparency.

Obaid Saeed Al Tunaiji, Chairman of the Sharjah City Electoral District Committee and Director-General of the Sharjah City Municipality, said the city had witnessed remarkable voter response on the first day of voting. He lauded the keenness of the emirate’s citizens to respond to the directives of the Ruler of Sharjah to participate wholeheartedly in the SCC elections.

He pointed out that the municipality has a specialised team of professionals and facilities to ensure smooth SCC elections, calling on all citizens to use this opportunity to choose their representatives to sit in the august Consultative Council forum.

The city of Sharjah has been allocated nine electoral seats, for which 93 candidates are in the fray. A total of 193 candidates from various cities and regions of the emirate are participating in the polls.

Mubarak Rashed Al Shamsi, Chairman of the Electoral District Committee in the Al Hamriya region and Director of Al Hamriya Municipality, also lauded the citizens' response to the SCC polls who have an opportunity to choose who represents them and their aspirations to achieve the development visions of the emirate.

Al Shamsi stated that the electoral process in the Hamriya region is taking place smoothly and easily due to the keenness of the Supreme Committee for the SCC Elections to organise the elections according to the highest standards of accuracy and transparency. The website www.eccs.shj.ae is dedicated to SCC elections. The approved voting centres in the emirate will continue to receive voters until Dec.7, 2023.WAM