UAE to boost number voting

THE United Arab Emirates plans a sharp increase in the number of voters in elections to a largely advisory council due in September.

The number of Emiratis allowed to vote in the 24 September elections for the Federal National Council will jump to 80,000 from fewer than 7,000 in the 2006 election, minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash said yesterday.

The UAE has so far been insulated from the mass pro-democracy protests that have swept the Arab world, thanks to rapid economic development that has raised the standard of living.