Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Supreme Committee member for the Sharjah Consultative Council Elections — 2023 and Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, greets an elderly voter at a polling station.

Some 51,637 male and female citizens representing the nine electoral districts in Sharjah began voting early on Tuesday

SCC polls show Sharjah’s worth and unique distinction: Official

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 Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

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

The hybrid voting options — electronic and in-person - have made the task of Sharjah’s voters much easier, speeding up their response to the call of duty.

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 7th December.

Besides electronic voting, the designated voting centres throughout Sharjah 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.

Expressing his satisfaction on day one of the polling, Ahmed Saeed Al Jarwan, member of the Supreme Committee for the SCC elections and Chairman of the election Management Committee, said, “The electronic and in-person voting options contributed to significantly enhancing electoral participation of citizens and increasing the voter turnout right from the opening hours.

“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 His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.”

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.

WAM