Emirates announces cautious reform to allow limited voting

The United Arab Emirates today announced it will hold a limited form of voting to pick members of a consultative council, a cautious step toward widening political participation in a country that has never held elections.

The reform is a limited one, allowing a select group to vote to choose half the members of the Federal National Council, the closest body the country has to a parliament, though it does not have legislative powers. The other half of the council’s members will continue to be appointed.