Government
Type: Federation of emirates.
Independence: December 2, 1971.
Provisional constitution: December 2, 1971.
Branches: Executive--7-member Supreme Council of Rulers, which elects president and vice president. Legislative--40-member Federal National Council (consultative only). Judicial--Islamic and secular courts.
Administrative subdivisions: Seven largely self-governing city-states.
Political parties: None.
Suffrage: State-nominated electors chose half of the Federal National Council seats in 2006.
Central government budget (2006): $7 billion.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES GOVERNMENT
Administratively, the U.A.E. is a loose federation of seven emirates, each with its own ruler. The pace at which local government in each emirate evolves from traditional to modern is set primarily by the ruler. Under the provisional constitution of 1971, each emirate reserves considerable powers, including control over mineral rights (notably oil and gas) and revenues. In this milieu, federal powers have developed slowly. The constitution established the positions of President (Chief of State) and Vice President, each serving 5-year terms; a Council of Ministers, led by a Prime Minister (head of government); a supreme council of rulers; and a 40-member Federal National Council (FNC). The FNC is a consultative body with half its members appointed by the emirate rulers and half elected.

Principal Government Officials
President, Ruler of Abu Dhabi--Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Vice President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Ruler of Dubai--Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Deputy Prime Minister--Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed al Nahyan
Deputy Prime Minister--Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al Nahyan
Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince--Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development--Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais
Minister of Economy--Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi
Minister of Education--Dr. Hanif Hassan
Minister of Energy--Mohammed bin Dha'en Al Hamili
Minister of Environment and Water--Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi
Minister of Federal National Council Affairs--Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash
Minister of Finance and Industry--Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Minister of Governmental Sector Development--Sultan Al Mansouri
Minister of Health--Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami
Minister of Higher Education--Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan
Minister of Interior--Major Gen. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Minister of Justice--Mohammed Nakhira Al Daheri
Minister of Labor--Dr. Ali bin Abdullah Al Kaabi
Minister of Presidential Affairs--Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Minister of Public Works--Sheikh amdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan
Minister of Social Affairs--Mariam Mohammed Khalfan Al Roumi
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs--Mohammad Abdullah Gergawi
Minister of State for Financial and Industrial Affairs--Dr. Mohammed Khalfan Bin Kharbash
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs--Mohammed Hussain Al Sha'ali

Ambassador to the United States--Saqr Ghobash
Ambassador to the United Nations--Abd al-Aziz Bin Nasir al-Shamsi

The U.A.E. maintains an embassy in the United States at 3522 International Court, NW, Washington, DC, 20008 (tel. 202-243-2400). The U.A.E. Mission to the UN is located at 747 3rd Avenue, 36th Floor, New York, New York 10017 (tel. 212-371-0480).

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES POLITICAL CONDITIONS
The relative political and financial influence of each emirate is reflected in the allocation of positions in the federal government. The ruler of Abu Dhabi, whose emirate is the U.A.E.'s major oil producer, is president of the U.A.E. The ruler of Dubai, which is the U.A.E.'s commercial center, is vice president and prime minister.

Since achieving independence in 1971, the U.A.E. has worked to strengthen its federal institutions. Nonetheless, each emirate still retains substantial autonomy, and progress toward greater federal integration has slowed in recent years. A basic concept in the U.A.E. Government's development as a federal system is that a significant percentage of each emirate's revenues should be devoted to the U.A.E. central budget.

The U.A.E. has no political parties. The rulers hold power on the basis of their dynastic position and their legitimacy in a system of tribal consensus. Rapid modernization, enormous strides in education, and the influx of a large foreign population have changed the face of the society. In December 2006, the U.A.E. held its first-ever limited elections to select half the members of the FNC. Ballots were cast by electors selected by the emir of each emirate. One woman was elected to the FNC and seven additional women were appointed to be council members.

DEFENSE
The Trucial Oman Scouts, long the symbol of public order on the coast and commanded by British officers, were turned over to the U.A.E. as its defense forces in 1971. The U.A.E. armed forces, consisting of 48,800 troops, are headquartered in Abu Dhabi and are primarily responsible for the defense of the seven emirates.

Although small in number, the U.A.E. armed forces are equipped with some of the most modern weapon systems, purchased from a variety of outside countries. The military has been reducing the number of foreign nationals in its ranks, and its officer corps is composed almost entirely of U.A.E. nationals. The U.A.E. air force has about 4,000 personnel. The Air Force has advanced U.S. F-16 BLOCK 60 multi-role fighter aircraft. Other equipment includes French Mirage 2000-9 fighters, British Hawk trainer aircraft, 36 transport aircraft and U.S. Apache and French Puma helicopters. The Air Defense Force is linked into a joint air defense system with the other six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations aimed at protecting the airspace of the allied states. The U.A.E. Navy is small--about 2,500 personnel--and maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and 8 missile boats. Although primarily concerned with coastal defense, the Navy is constructing a six-unit class of blue water corvettes in conjunction with French shipbuilder CMN. The U.A.E.'s Land Forces are equipped with several hundred French LeClerc tanks and a similar number of Russian BMP-3 armored fighting vehicles. The U.A.E. Special Operations Command (SOC) is a small but effective force centered on the counter-terrorism mission within the country. SOC is well-financed, trained, and equipped and is capable of executing its mission with a level of expertise equal to, or above, the rest of the GCC.

The U.A.E. contributes to the continued security and stability of the Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz. It is a leading partner in the campaign against global terrorism, providing assistance in the military, diplomatic, and financial arenas since September 11, 2001