Second stage starts in UAE polls

Only 1% of citizens get the vote, and candidates are selected by the authorities

Voting has begun in the second stage of landmark national elections in the United Arab Emirates, in which under 1% of citizens are allowed to vote.

Voters hand-picked by the government are choosing half of the Federal National Council, an advisory body.

On Monday, the polls are being held in Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah. The remaining three emirates vote on Wednesday.

On Saturday, six council members, including a woman, were elected in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah.

"This is an honour I will carry... all my life. It is proof that the Emirati people are [politically] aware," Amal Abdullah al-Kubaissi, who won one of the four seats in Abu Dhabi, told the AFP news agency.

The candidates standing for election were also hand-picked by the Emirati government.

However, ministers have said the vote is the start of a wider process that will see participation extended.

The BBC's Julia Wheeler, in Dubai, says it is also expected that the powers of the assembly will change, with the first council debating a new constitution.

VOTING DATES AND LOCATIONS Saturday 16th - Abu Dhabi, Fujairah Monday 18th - Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah Wednesday 20th - Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quaint

On Monday, voters are electing four council members in Dubai and three in Ras al-Khaimah.

The voters across the UAE, who number fewer than 7,000 men and women, have been selected by the rulers of the seven emirates which make up the country.

The UAE is the last of the Gulf Arab monarchies to introduce elections.