Federal National Council
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| Federal National Council | |
|---|---|
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| Type | |
| Type | Unicameral |
| Leadership | |
| President of the Council | Mohammad Al Murr since Nov. 2011 |
| Members | 40 |
| Website | |
| official website | |
| United Arab Emirates |
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The Federal National Council (FNC), (Arabic: المجلس الوطني الإتحادي, al-Majlis al-Watani al-Ittihadi) is the federal authority of the United Arab Emirates formed to represent the general emirati people.[1] The FNC consist of 40 members with advisory tasks in the house of legislative council. Twenty members are elected by the citizens of the UAE through the general election and the other half are elected by the electoral college and rulers of each emirate.[2][3] The FNC assembly hall is located in the Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE.[4]
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).[3]
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[edit] 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.[1]
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.[5]
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.[6]
[edit] Apportionment
All seats are based on 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 |
[edit] 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, all forty members of the FNC were male.
Election officials billed the polls as a trial run they hoped will pave the way for universal suffrage in the coming years. Even then, however, only half of the FNC will be elected.[7]
In late 2006, half of the organization was elected [1]. These elections were seen as the first steps toward Emirati democracy.[8]
| 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 won. 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.[9] The total amounted to 22.5% of the Council representing women’s significant expansion and participation in the UAE’s government.
[edit] Notes and references
September 2011 Election Results
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Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (June 2010) |
- ^ a b "Legislative body forms a pillar of governance". gulfnews.com. September 25, 2011. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/government/legislative-body-forms-a-pillar-of-governance-1.876259. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ "A vote for the country's future". gulfnews.com. September 25, 2011. http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/government/a-vote-for-the-country-s-future-1.876321. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ a b "About the Federal National Council". khaleejtimes.com. 4 July 2011. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=/data/theuae/2011/July/theuae_July349.xml§ion=theuae. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ "fnc_KT". arabiangazette.com. September 4, 2011. http://arabiangazette.com/fnc-candidates-kick-election-campaign/fnc_gulf-news/. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ Staff Report. "What is the Federal National Council." Gulfnews.com
- ^ UAE Politics. The Political System of the UAE. www.uae.gov.ae/Government/politics.htm
- ^ Ibid
- ^ The Report: Dubai 2007. The Oxford Business Group. 2007
- ^ http://www.almajles.gov.ae/
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