The Government of United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates - Government

Based on the etymolgy of United Arab Emirates, it was self-descriptive country name; the name "Arabia" can be traced back many centuries B.C., the ancient Egyptians referred to the region as "Ar Rabi"; "emirates" derives from "amir" the Arabic word for "commander," "lord," or "prince". The Government system in this country is the federation of monarchies type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn

National symbols

Golden falcon; national colors: green, white, black, red.

The flag

The National flag of United Arab Emirates has three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side; the flag incorporates all four Pan-Arab colors, which in this case represent fertility (green), neutrality (white), petroleum resources (black), and unity (red); red was the traditional color incorporated into all flags of the emirates before their unification.

The National Anthem

Title	"Nashid al-watani al-imarati" (National Anthem of the UAE)
Lyric/music	AREF Al Sheikh Abdullah Al Hassan/Mohamad Abdel WAHAB

note: music adopted 1971, lyrics adopted 1996; Mohamad Abdel WAHAB also composed the music for the anthem of Tunisia

More about the government of United Arab Emirates

Constitution
Date of Independence	2 December 1971 (from the UK)
National holiday	Independence Day (National Day), 2 December (1971)
Legal system	mixed legal system of Islamic (sharia) law and civil law
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Previous 1971 (provisional); latest drafted in 1979, became permanent May 1996
Amendments	Proposed by the Supreme Council and submitted to the Federal National Council; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote of Federal National Council members present and approval of the Supreme Council president; amended 2009
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	the father must be a citizen of the United Arab Emirates; if the father is unknown, the mother must be a citizen
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	30 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President MUHAMMAD BIN ZAYID Al Nuhayyan (since 14 May 2022)
Head of government	Prime Minister and Co-Vice President MUHAMMAD BIN RASHID Al Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
Cabinet	Council of Ministers announced by the prime minister and approved by the president
Elections/appointments	president and vice president indirectly elected by the Federal Supreme Council - composed of the rulers of the 7 emirates - for a 5-year term (no term limits); unscheduled election held on 14 May 2022, following the death of President KHALIFA bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (next election expected in 2027); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results	2022: MUHAMMAD BIN ZAYID Al-Nuhayyan elected president; Federal Supreme Council vote - NA
Legislative branch
Description	Unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members indirectly elected using single non-transferable vote by an electoral college whose members are selected by each emirate ruler proportional to its FNC membership, and 20 members appointed by the rulers of the 7 constituent states; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections	Last held for indirectly elected members on 7 October 2023 (next to be held in October 2027); last held for appointed members in October 2023 (next appointments expected in late 2027)
Election results	Seats by emirate - Abu Dhabi 4, Dubai 4, Sharjah 3, Ras al-Khaimah 3, Ajman 2, Fujairah 2, Umm al-Quwain 2; composition - 13 men, 7 women, percentage elected women 35%; note - to attain overall FNC gender parity, 13 women and 7 men were appointed; total FNC percentage of women 50%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Federal Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 4 judges; jurisdiction limited to federal cases)
Judge selection and term of office	Judges appointed by the federal president following approval by the Federal Supreme Council, the highest executive and legislative authority consisting of the 7 emirate rulers; judges serve until retirement age or the expiry of their appointment terms
Subordinate courts	Federal Court of Cassation (determines the constitutionality of laws promulgated at the federal and emirate level; federal level courts of first instance and appeals courts); the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ra's al Khaymah have parallel court systems; the other 4 emirates have incorporated their courts into the federal system; note - the Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts and the Dubai International Financial Center Courts, the country’s two largest financial free zones, both adjudicate civil and commercial disputes.
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Yousif AL OTAIBA (since 28 July 2008)
Chancery	3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 243-2400
FAX	[1] (202) 243-2408
Email address and website	[email protected] https://www.uae-embassy.org/
Consulate(s) general	Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Martina A. STRONG (since 4 October 2023)
Embassy	Embassies District, Plot 38, Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi
Mailing address	6010 Abu Dhabi Place, Washington DC 20521-6010
Telephone	[971] (2) 414-2200
FAX	[971] (2) 414-2241
Email address and website	[email protected] https://ae.usembassy.gov/
Consulate(s) general	Dubai
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud, and Oases Areas)