Federal National Council: Difference between revisions

Federal National Council
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
President of the Council	Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair since 2006
Seats	40
Website
official website

The Federal National Council (FNC), (Arabic: المجلس الوطني الإتحادي, al-Majlis al-Watani al-Ittihadi) is the legislature house of the United Arab Emirates which consist of 40 members with advisory tasks in the legislative council. Twenty members are elected by the citizens of the UAE thru the general election and the rest half are elected by the electoral college and rulers of each emirate.

The National Election Committee (NEC) conducts the election and authorized to nominate the electoral college members any citizen can be selected as a member. The NEC was established in February 2011 by a consensus of the UAE Supreme Council and chaired by the Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs. The NEC have the authority to lookafter the election of representatives from all the emirates of the UAE to the Federal National Council (FNC).

History

The Federal National Council (FNC) was formed under the Provisional Constitution of the United Arab Emirates in 1971 as a permanent component of the country's governing structure, which also includes the Supreme Council, President, Cabinet and Judiciary.

Over the last 38 years, the FNC has discussed hundreds of issues and draft laws concerning the people and economy of the country. According to the Constitution, federal draft laws first have to pass through the FNC for review and recommendations. Draft laws and amendments formed with help of specialized house committees are presented to the Council for discussion and later sent back to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. Throughout its history, the Council has influenced the Federal Government to draft laws. Original draft laws from the Cabinet were amended by the Council to suit the needs of the citizens which they represent.

The FNC is responsible under the Constitution for examining, and, if it wishes, amending, all proposed federal legislation, and is empowered to summon and to question any Federal Minister regarding Ministry performance. One of the main duties of the FNC is to discuss the annual budget. Specialized sub-committees and a Research and Studies Unit have been formed to assist FNC members to cope with the increasing demands of modern government.

Apportionment

All seats are based off of population.

Emirate	Number of Senators
Abu Dhabi	8
Dubai	8
Sharjah	6
Ras Al Khaimah	6
Ajman	4
Fujairah	4
Umm Al Quwain	4
Total	40

Elections

Not all UAE nationals are allowed to vote or run for office. Only 6,689 out of some 800,000 Emirati citizens in the country were eligible to take part in 2006 election. Those eligible were chosen by the rulers of the emirates.

Women are allowed to vote and run for office but there is no quota to ensure a set number of women get elected as there is in some other Arab countries. Over 14 percent of candidates are women. By the end of 2003, moreover, all forty members of the FNC remain male.

Election officials are billing the polls as a trial run they hope will pave the way for universal suffrage in the coming years. Even then, however, only half of the FNC will be elected.

In late 2006, half of the organization was elected [1]. These elections were seen as the first steps toward Emirati democracy.

Notes and references

September 2011 Election Results