Election dates for UAE's Federal National Council announced

Emiratis will begin voting to elect their next parliamentarians on September 22, the National Elections Committee (NEC) announced on Monday. Overseas voting for the fourth election cycle of the Federal National Council (FNC) will be held on September 22-23, while the main election will happen on October 5.

Early voting will be held on October 1 to 3 to allow voters to cast their ballot before the official election deadline. "Early voting helps increase participation and give voters more flexibility to cast their votes at their convenience - especially those with conditions that prevent them from performing their electoral duties," the NEC said.

For the first time, the FNC polls will not see any 'election silence' that usually prevents candidates from campaigning 48 hours before voting begins. This new initiative aims at enhancing candidate-voter relations and improve outreach and engagement.