Hand-picked voters cast ballots in Dubai poll

DUBAI, Dec 18 (Reuters) Hand-picked voters cast their ballots in the United Arab Emirates today in the second phase of elections for an advisory council, the first in the Gulf Arab state.

Rulers of the seven emirates comprising the UAE have chosen 6,689 voters, less than one per cent of its 800,000 nationals, to elect half of the 40-seat Federal National Council (FNC). They say they selected a representative sample of the population.

Voters elected six FNC members, including a woman, in the first phase of the polls in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah on Saturday.

Today, they elected four members in the region's booming trade hub of Dubai and three in the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah.

Today's winners were all men.

Polls take place in the last three emirates on Wednesday for the seats, which are being contested by 439 candidates.

''I am very happy to be participating politically for the first time in our nation,'' said Huda Mutawe, 27, a woman civil servant who is running in Dubai.

''I hope democracy will be on a wider scale so that the National Council members will all be elected by voters.'' Once these polls are over, the FNC's role will be expanded from that of a consultative body with no legislative powers to an assembly with more oversight powers, election officials say.

The UAE plans to extend suffrage to all Emiratis eventually, something which election officials say may happen in four years.

''This is an important and essential step to help us move steadily towards democracy,'' Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, UAE prime minister and ruler of Dubai, told reporters at the sole polling station in Dubai.

''This is the first step and we will build on this step gradually ... We do not leap but move step by step.'' NEIGHBOURS The UAE is the only Gulf Arab state with no elected political bodies. Though still ruled by dynasties, its neighbours have all had elections of some kind.

Kuwait, the only Gulf Arab state with a parliament that has a say in state affairs, allowed women to run in parliamentary elections for the first time in June.

Bahrain, whose parliament shares legislative powers with an appointed house, held a general election last month in which the Shi'ite opposition did well.

Diplomats and analysts say the affluence of the OPEC oil producer has helped the UAE's rulers steer the country through rapid economic growth without political turbulence.

There is no Islamist violence or real political dissent in the UAE, where many Emiratis take little interest in the politics of the welfare state.

In the first phase of polls, turnout averaged 70 per cent though little more than 2,000 people were chosen to take part.

Voting was brisk in Dubai, with people voting electronically before dropping a printed red ballot in a clear box as back up.

Dubai, with 1,520 voters, had 77 candidates including 15 women.

In Ras al-Khaimah, where three women ran for office among 80 hopefuls, had 1,000 voters.

About 14 per cent of candidates in the UAE are women.

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