Nearly 60 per cent of voters took part in recent council elections in Sharjah, official figures have shown. More than 26,000 people cast their ballot in last week's vote, electing 25 new members to the consultative chamber. The high turnout compares with 35 per cent of voters taking part in the Federal National Council elections held across the UAE in October. Newly elected members in Sharjah will join a further 25 councillors appointed by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Ruler of the emirate, “Participation rate in the polls stood at 59.4 per cent, with 26,600 of the 44,758 citizens registered at the emirate’s various constituencies casting their votes,” a statement from Sharjah government’s media bureau said. “The nine constituencies spread across the emirate of Sharjah include Sharjah City, Al Dhaid, Khorfakkan, Kalba, Dibba Al Hisn, Al Madam, Al Hamriya, Al Bataeh and Mleiha. “Elected seats in the Sharjah Consultative Council (SCC ) are distributed as follows: nine seats for Sharjah city, three seats each for Al Dhaid, Khorfakkan and Kalba, and two seats each for Dibba Al Hisn and Al Madam, while Al Hamriya, Al Bataeh and Mleiha have one seat each.” Formed 20 years ago, the SCC oversees the social, cultural and economic development of the emirate. Its members have the power to draft new laws and to hold public officials to account. The Sharjah government said members elected to the council in last week’s vote included three women. Sharifa Al Mazmi was elected a member for Sharjah city, Afra Al Ketbi for Al Bataeh and Fatima Al Muhairi for Al Hamriya. This year’s FNC elections witnessed a substantial rise in the number of registered voters in the UAE, up from 224,279 in 2015 to 337,738. The 39 voting stations across all seven emirates were instructed to stay open for an additional hour to ensure all residents were able to have their say at the ballot box. As with national elections, emirate council elections also take place every four years. In Sharjah, the newly elected SCC is expected to convene for the first time on December 5.
