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Dubai: The upcoming elections are a first step aimed at preventing parochial voting and creating an election culture in the UAE, said Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Federal National Council (FNC) Affairs.
The minister said that the UAE was not "a politicised society" and did not have experience in elections, so the polls were a "transitional step" which would prepare the country for eventual full elections.
He was speaking on Sunday at an awareness seminar targeted towards members of the Electoral College in Dubai, held at the Higher College of Technology. The seminar was part of a series that started in Abu Dhabi on November 1 and is set to end in Sharjah on November 8.
"We have seen how elections in some countries are divisive rather than unifying, where people vote along sectarian lines. We want to avoid that here," he said.
Acknowledging some of the criticism made about the elections, the minister stressed that the elections are a first step "in the development of our political institutions" which serve as a learning process.
"[Some] people have said that we don't need elections; we are happy. [Others] have said that the elections came too late and were not enough. We respect that and tell them that it is better to take the first step than not take it at all," he said.
"These elections show our strategy for the future … Our political programme is all inclusive and we won't stop here; we will reach full elections," he added.
First Arab nation to introduce e-voting
Dr Anwar Gargash said the FNC elections would make the UAE the first Arab country to introduce electronic voting (e-voting).
"The system is designed for the voter to vote and leave the polling station in five to seven minutes, or up to ten minutes at peak hours," he said, adding that demonstration screens will also be available.
Asked about the credibility of electronic elections and security involved in conducting them, he said that e-voting was more precise. "The technology used in e-voting is studied and [trusted]. It is the technology that is used everywhere," he said.
To those who are concerned about fraud, he said, "there have also been cases of fraud during paper voting in some places."
He said the elections centre will be monitored and each voter will receive a printout confirming who he or she voted for.
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