– The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA) is collaborating with the UAE Innovation Month Supervisory Committee in Sharjah to showcase its innovative initiatives, presenting the ‘Miniature Elections Exhibition’ as part of the activities taking place at the University of Sharjah on February 14-18 to mark the month-long UAE Innovates 2022.

The Exhibition employs advanced technologies to raise awareness of the electoral process and parliamentary work, highlighting the most notable achievements that have been made in that regard, most importantly, the Electronic Voting System, the Electoral Process Journey, the Electoral Centres Map, and the virtual reality ‘You in the FNC’ initiative.

“The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs is taking part in UAE Innovates 2022 and collaborating with the UAE Innovation Month Supervisory Committee in Sharjah in line with our commitment to strengthening cooperation with the emirate and spreading the culture of political participation among its population,” said MFNCA Undersecretary His Excellency Tariq Hilal Lootah. “This, in turn, aligns with the directives of our wise leadership, who is committed to empowering the youth and providing them with all the tools they need to actively contribute to parliamentary work processes in the UAE.”

“UAE Innovation Month is a great opportunity for the Ministry and various government and private entities to highlight the importance of innovation in the lives of individuals, and its role in transforming communities into hi-tech, digitised societies, which, in turn, helps drive sustainable development,” H.E. Lootah added. “The initiative also promotes innovation and embeds it into the culture and lifestyle of the community, and particularly the youth – the most important segment that bears the responsibility to sustain the UAE’s momentum and success in all sectors.”

The Ministry will be showcasing a number of its innovative initiatives at the exhibition, introducing the modern technologies used in the Federal National Council elections and highlighting their role in accelerating the electoral process and ensuring its accuracy and transparency. Most notable among these breakthroughs is the electronic voting system, which has been in use since the 2006 FNC elections.

As part of the Electoral Process Journey initiative, visitors to the Innovation Exhibition at the University of Sharjah have a smart interactive screen at their disposal, which can be used to explore the electoral process in detail. Audience members can live the election experience in under five minutes, raising their awareness of the basics, procedures, and stages of the electoral process.

The MFNCA will also be displaying an interactive map of the UAE that allows participants to locate all electoral centres and view important statistics for each of them, including voter turnout.

Last but not least, the Ministry of State for FNC Affairs will be showcasing its flagship virtual reality ‘You in the FNC’ initiative, which helps enhance users’ knowledge of the Council, allowing them to explore how FNC sessions work, how topics are discussed, and how Council members and government representatives interact when discussing the topic at hand.