A few hundred Emiratis have registered to run in a parliamentary election in the United Arab Emirates, the government said Wednesday, fewer than expected when it loosened restrictions on running to try to ease demands for more democracy. UAE rulers, nervous that protests which swept across the Arab world earlier this year may spread to their country, have raised the pool of voters and candidates from less than 1 percent of a population of nearly 1 million to about 20 percent. The government of the UAE, one of the world's biggest oil exporters and an ally of the United States, said 477 people had registered so far to run for half the seats in the 40 member Federal National Council. The other half of the seats will be chosen by the ruling dynasties of each of the seven emirates, which came together in 1971 when colonial power Britain withdrew. “We hope that everyone supports this step, which is important in enhancing political participation and empowering the Federal National Council,” Anwar Gargash, minister of state for FNC affairs, said in a statement. “We expect hectic activity following the completion of candidates' registrations,” said the minister, who opened an account on social media site Twitter this week. Analysts said the numbers so far showed that interest in the election to the Council, which only advises UAE rulers rather than instituting legislation, was minimal. It is only the second time the UAE has held any kind of election to the Council. “We can definitely say that this number is relatively small and less than expected,” said politics professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, noting that more candidates ran in the election in 2006. “I don't know the reason ... perhaps the result of the last election was not satisfactory.” UAE security forces have clamped down on an increasingly vocal circle of activists campaigning for democratic reforms. At least five activists are being tried in Abu Dhabi on charges of insulting the country's leadership and incitement. The government says Emiratis need time to understand democracy before the electoral system can be developed. Many Emiratis say they want full democracy now. “I was motivated when the electorate was expanded,” said Mohammed Hadi Omeiri, a biology professor from Dubai who went to register his name this week. “It's a positive step that paves the way for making FNC elections open to all citizens.”
