Legislature
The Federal National Council (al-Majlis al-Watani al-Ittihadi) is the UAE’s legislative body and consists of 40 members. Half are appointed by the rulers of their respective emirates, and hold all of the council's political power. The other half, who have only advisory tasks and serve two-year terms, are elected by a 6,689-member electoral college whose members are appointed by the emirates. Members are required to be citizens of the emirate they represent, a minimum twenty-five years of age, and literate. Members of the Federal National Council are drawn from each emirate based on population and presided over by a speaker who is elected from among the Council’s members. The council carries out the country’s main consultative duties and has both a legislative and supervisory role provided by the Constitution. It has the authority to examine and amend any proposed federal legislation but it cannot veto any proposed bills. It can also question any ministers on ministry performance.
Political parties are officially outlawed, but some do exist, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir.
The FNC is the main consultative body in the UAE and has both a legislative and supervisory role accorded by the Constitution.
Since the Council’s inception, the following have been selected to chair:
- Thani bin Abdulla
- Taryam bin Omran Taryam
- Hilal bin Ahmed bin Lootah
- Al Haj bin Abdullah Al Muhairbi
- Mohammed Khalifa Al Habtoor (elected 1997)
- Saeed Mohammed Al Kindi (elected 2003)
- Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair (elected 2006)
After the succession of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid as ruler of Dubai and election as PM/Vice President of the UAE, the Emirates took their first steps towards indirect elections for the country’s parliament on National Day, December 2, 2005 upon the official announcement by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The new reforms provided for each ruler to select an Electoral College for his respective emirate based on population and comprised the following: Abu Dhabi & Dubai – 8; Sharjah & Ra’s al Khaimah – 6; Fujairah, Ajman, & Umm al Qaiwain: 4. These colleges were designated the responsibility to elect one half of the Federal National Council’s members for their own emirate. The other half would be appointed by the Emirate’s ruler. A National Electoral Committee was created and the UAE’s first election occurred during mid-December 2006.
| Members | Seats |
|---|---|
| Elected | 20 |
| Appointed by the rulers of the constituent emirates | 20 |
| Total | 40 |
Among the 20 members chosen by the Electoral College, one woman was elected. Eight female members were appointed by the rulers of the 7 emirates. Each emirate had at least one female appointed, with the exception of Umm al-Qaiwain. Three of the females appointed were from Dubai. The total amounted to 22.5% of the Council representing women’s significant expansion and participation in the UAE’s government.
The objective is for FNC members to be wholly elected. However, in a country with a long monarchical tradition, reform is considered effective when gradual. Further consideration is being given to formulating a local electoral process.
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Read more about this topic: Politics Of The United Arab Emirates
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