Hand-picked UAE voters cast ballots in first polls

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/UAE_voters_cast_ballots_in_first_polls.html?siteSect=143&sid=7356096&cKey=1166290661000

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Hand-picked voters cast their ballots on Saturday to elect members of the United Arab Emirates's advisory assembly in the first elections since the Gulf Arab state was created in 1971.

Rulers of the seven emirates comprising the UAE have chosen 6,689 voters, less than one percent of its 800,000 nationals, to elect half of the 40-seat Federal National Council (FNC).

Phase one of the polls began on Saturday in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and the smaller emirate of Fujairah, with a steady stream of voters casting their ballots for the first time, voting by computer in the region's first electronic election.

Results, which were announced one hour after ballot boxes were closed at 1900 local time (1500 GMT) for the vote count, showed that one woman won one of four seats in Abu Dhabi, while men took both seats in Fujairah.

[Kutjara]

1. Now that's the way to run an election.

GOP take note: why bother rigging voting machines and 'losing' ballot papers when you can just decide who gets to vote in the first place? Bravo for democracy in the UAE!