conventional long form:
United Arab Emirates
conventional short form:
none
local long form:
Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form:
none
former:
Trucial Oman, Trucial States
abbreviation:
UAE
Government type:
federation with specified powers delegated to the
UAE federal government and other powers reserved to
member emirates
Capital:
Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions:
7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby
(Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah),
Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence:
2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution:
2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
Legal system:
federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to
all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al
Khaymah, which are not fully integrated into the
federal judicial system; all emirates have secular
courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial
matters and Islamic courts to review family and
religious disputes
Suffrage:
none
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3
November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since
4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister
MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
head of government:
Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin
Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy
Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since
20 November 1990); Deputy Prime Minister HAMDAN bin
Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president
note:
there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC)
composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the
highest constitutional authority in the UAE;
establishes general policies and sanctions federal
legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu
Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto
power
elections:
president and vice president elected by the FSC for
five-year terms (no term limits); election last held
3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding
Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al
Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister and
deputy prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by a
unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum
unanimously reaffirmed vice president
Legislative branch:
unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis
al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by
the rulers of the constituent states to serve
two-year terms)
elections:
President KHALIFA in December 2005 announced that
indirect elections would be held in early 2006 for
half of the seats in the FNC; the other half would
be filled by appointment
note:
reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
