The United Arab Emirates was established in 1971 as a federation of seven emirates – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. They are governed by a Federal Constitution, which was made permanent in 1996.
The Federal Government structure comprises five bodies: the Federal Supreme Council, the President, the Council of Ministers, the Federal National Council and the Federal Judiciary.
The Federal Supreme Council (FSC), composed of the rulers of the seven emirates, is the highest legislative, executive, and constitutional authority in the land – it elects the President and the Vice-President, approves nomination of the Prime Minister, and ratifies federal laws and decrees. The Federal National Council, with forty members, of which half are elected for a four-year term, serves in an advisory capacity.
The President has a wide range of legislative and executive powers, including signing laws, decrees and decisions approved and sanctioned by the Supreme Council, supervising their implementation through the Council of Ministers, and ratifying treaties and international agreements approved by the Supreme Council and Council of Ministers. The ruler of each emirate also has extensive, near-sovereign regulatory powers within the emirate.