«الوطني الاتحادي».. صوت شعب الاتحاد وشريك رئيسي في صنع مستقبل الوطن

Abu Dhabi: Al Khaleej
Since its establishment, the Federal National Council has performed its national role by exercising its constitutional powers (legislative and oversight) in addition to parliamentary diplomacy. With the aim of contributing to the national process and achieving all the components and requirements of comprehensive and sustainable development for the UAE.
The establishment of the Federal National Council coincided with the launch of the Federation of the UAE. Where the Council represents the fourth federal authority; In terms of arrangement in the hierarchy of the five federal powers stipulated in the Constitution; They are: the Supreme Council of the Federation, the President and Vice President of the Federation, the Council of Ministers of the Federation, the Federal National Council, and the Federal Judiciary.
The journey of the Federal National Council began with its first session on February 12, 1972, to contribute to the process of sustainable development and establish a distinguished relationship with the federal government through its participation in discussing and approving federal legislation, its discussion of citizens’ issues and needs, and it also enhanced the effectiveness of various executive bodies. In addition to enhancing investment in the areas of human development and infrastructure.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him, in his speech on the occasion of the opening of the first regular session of the first legislative term of the Council, defined the tasks and role of the Council. Where he said: “The masses of the people in every location participate in creating life on the soil of this good land, and in building a brilliant, bright and prosperous future for us and for the rising generations of our children and grandchildren, and in these decisive historical moments in which your esteemed council meets, the masses of the people on this land The kind woman who believes in her Lord, her country, and her heritage looks to you, confident that you, with God’s help, will participate in achieving her hopes for pride, strength, progress, and prosperity.”
The Federal National Council enjoys unlimited support from the leadership of the UAE, to activate its role and enable it to exercise its constitutional powers, which contributes to the Council being the voice of the citizen, an essential partner in making the future of the nation, and the link that conveys to government officials various issues and appropriate solutions, in addition to its pivotal role. In presenting the state’s point of view and vision regarding various regional and international issues, and mobilizing support for them during his participation in parliamentary activities.
10 presidents of the council
Since its establishment, 10 presidents have served as president of the Federal National Council. They are: Thani bin Abdullah, Taryam Omran Taryam, Hilal bin Ahmed bin Lootah, Hajj bin Abdullah Al Muhairbi, Mohammed Khalifa bin Habtoor, Saeed Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi, Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, and Saqr. Blurry.
The Council is composed of forty members, and the term of membership is (4) years. The member represents the entire people of the Union, not just the emirate he represents within the Council. It is not permissible to combine Council membership with any public position in the Union, including ministerial positions.
The members of the Council are distributed among the emirates according to the constitution as follows: (8) seats for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, (8) seats for the Emirate of Dubai, (6) seats for the Emirate of Sharjah, (6) seats for the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, (4) seats for the Emirate of Ajman, (4) seats. For the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain, (4) seats for the Emirate of Fujairah.
Half of the emirate’s representatives in the Federal National Council are elected by an electoral college formed in each emirate, while the other half are appointed by His Highness the Ruler of each emirate. This mechanism was adopted in the formation of the Federal National Council and applied in the first electoral cycle held in 2006, in implementation of the political empowerment program launched by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him.
Membership conditions
According to Article (70) of the State Constitution, a member of the Federal National Council is required to be a citizen of one of the emirates of the Federation, a permanent resident of the emirate he represents in the Council, and to be at least twenty-five years of age when selected, and to have civil capacity. Mahmoud Biography, good reputation, and he has never been convicted of a crime against honor, unless he has been rehabilitated in accordance with the law, and he has sufficient knowledge of reading and writing.
If the position of a Council member becomes vacant before the end of his term for any reason, a replacement will be chosen within two months from the date of the Council announcing this vacancy, unless the vacancy occurs during the three months preceding the end of the Council’s term. The new member completes the term of office of his predecessor.
Council powers
The powers of the Federal National Council are represented in (3) main powers: legislative, oversight, and political (“parliamentary diplomacy”).
The Council exercises its legislative role by discussing constitutional amendments, discussing draft federal laws referred to it by the government, discussing the draft general budget of the state and its draft final accounts, and expressing an opinion on international treaties and agreements that are referred to it by a decision of His Highness the President of the State.
The Council also exercises its oversight jurisdiction by presenting general topics for discussion. The Council holds discussion panels and conducts field visits to closely examine the services provided to citizens. The Council has the right to issue recommendations to the government regarding the general topics it has finished discussing, direct questions to the Prime Minister and the relevant ministers, and examine complaints submitted by individuals towards federal government agencies.
The Council has a political specialization in parliamentary diplomacy through participation in regional and international parliamentary unions, and parliamentary visits.
4 sessions
The legislative term of the Federal National Council consists of 4 regular sessions: The Council holds an annual regular session of no less than seven months, beginning in the third week of October of each year.
The Council shall be called to convene and the session shall be dissolved by a decree issued by the President of the Union with the approval of the Council of Ministers of the Union. Every meeting held by the Council without an official invitation to convene, or in a place other than the legal place designated for holding its meetings shall be considered invalid and shall have no effect. However, if the Council is not called to meet for its annual regular session before the third week of November, it shall convene on its own on the twenty-first of the aforementioned month.
Opening speech
The President of the Union opens the annual regular session of the Council, and delivers a speech that includes a statement of the country’s conditions, the most important events and important affairs that took place during the year, and the projects and reforms that the Union Government intends to undertake during the new session. The President of the Union may be represented by his deputy at the opening or in delivering the speech. Or the Prime Minister of the Federation. The Federal Council must choose a committee from among its members to prepare a draft response to the opening speech, including the Council’s observations and wishes. The response shall be submitted after its approval by the Council to the President of the Federation, to be presented to the Supreme Council.
The Council’s sessions are held in public, and may be held in secret if requested by the government representative, the President of the Council, or one-third of its members. The Council’s deliberations are not valid unless at least a majority of its members are present, and decisions are issued by an absolute majority of the votes of the members present. This is in cases other than those in which a special majority is required. If the votes are equal, the side on which the session chair is located prevails.
The main bodies of the Council consist of: The President of the Council, who is elected once in the first session of the legislative term by an absolute majority of those present, and his term of office lasts throughout the legislative term. The President of the Council presides over the plenary sessions, opens them, adjourns them, directs the discussions therein, announces the decisions issued by the Council, and maintains order. During the session, he sets the Council’s agenda and directs its General Secretariat. He chairs, ex officio, the Council’s Bureau, the Parliamentary Division and its Executive Committee, and represents the Council in its communications with other bodies.
The Council shall have a bureau elected by the Council from among its members. It shall consist of the President of the Council, two Vice-Presidents, and two observers. The President and his two deputies shall be elected for a full legislative term by an absolute majority. If this is not achieved, the election shall be made by a relative majority. In all cases, the election of observers shall be by an absolute majority at the beginning of each session. Regular session.
The Authority undertakes several responsibilities, including: adjudicating the objections referred to it by the Council on the content of the minutes of the Council’s sessions, examining the Council’s draft annual budget and its final account, following up on the implementation of the Council’s recommendations, and proposing regulations related to the affairs of Council members.
Council committees
The Council has (10) permanent committees, which are formed at the beginning of each regular session of the Council, which are: the Committee for Constitutional and Legislative Affairs and Appeals, the Committee for Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs, the Committee for Technology, Energy and Mineral Resources Affairs, the Committee for Education, Culture, Youth, Sports and Media Affairs, and the Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. The Financial, Economic and Industrial Affairs Committee, the Social Affairs, Labor, Population and Human Resources Committee, the Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Public Utilities Committee, the Complaints Committee, and the Committee Heads Committee.
The Council may form other permanent or temporary committees according to the need for work, and establish for each committee whatever special provisions it deems appropriate regarding it. Temporary committees are formed to discuss a specific topic or issue and end with the completion of their research into this issue. Among these committees that are formed for such purposes is the Committee to Respond to the Opening Speech, which is specialized in preparing a draft response to the opening speeches of His Highness the President of the State of the various legislative chapters and their regular sessions.
Parliamentary Division organs
The Parliamentary Division consists of all members of the Federal National Council, who together constitute the “General Assembly of the Division.” The Division’s bodies are composed of: the Division’s General Assembly, the Division’s Executive Committee, and groups of regional and international parliamentary unions and assemblies, namely: the Inter-Parliamentary Union Group, the Arab Parliamentary Union Group, the Union of Councils of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly Group, and the Parliamentary Assembly Group. For the Mediterranean, the Division Group in the Arab Parliament, and the Division Group in the periodic meeting of the heads of the Shura, Representatives, National and Nation Councils of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The friendship committees include: the Friendship Committee with the parliaments of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Friendship Committee with the parliaments of the Arab countries, the Friendship Committee with the parliaments of Asian countries, the Friendship Committee with the parliaments of European countries, the Friendship Committee with the parliaments of African countries, and the Friendship Committee with the parliaments of Latin American countries. , and North America.
General Secretariat
The Federal National Council has a general secretariat; It is a technical and administrative body that plays a vital role in assisting the Council in performing its legislative and oversight powers, and enables its members to carry out their parliamentary duties effectively and with high efficiency in everything related to the Council’s internal and external activities. The General Secretariat of the Council consists of: the Secretary-General, Assistant Secretaries-General, department directors and employees. The General Secretariat has a headquarters in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and a branch in the Emirate of Dubai.