Call for fully elected legislature

Although the UAE made its first move towards democratization two years ago by having a partially elected Federal National Council by a selected electoral college, calls for a faster evolution of the political process have intensified since.

The Federal Supreme Council obliged some members last month by extending the term of members from two years to four, and giving them the right to debate international agreements before ratification.

Intellectuals and members of the FNC have however continued their calls for a speedy transformation of the body to a fully elected legislature. The council only has consultative powers now.
Professor of political science in UAE University, Dr Abdul Khaleq Abdullah said that a fully elected legislature was "overdue" in the UAE. Currently, the FNC is only half elected and does not have legislative powers.

"If there are one thousand reasons not to go ahead with the [political reforms], I can find one thousand and one reasons to go ahead with them," he said. "After 37 years of the UAE's formation, we are not allowed to exercise these fundamental rights that are guaranteed in the constitution and by the human rights declaration and every document the UAE has signed."
Dr Abdullah said the need for democratization was urgent because the UAE needed accountability and transparency as "the country's problems mount".

"It's not wise for major decisions to be made behind closed doors, he added. Yousef Bin Fadel, a member from Umm Al Quwain, suggested that legislative powers were a natural path for the modernization of the UAE's political system.

"Without a doubt, the issue of legislative powers has been discussed in the FNC and it is an important issue. It gives them a sense of independence. We can't have a political platform which makes promises to the voter when we don't have the power to fulfill the promises," he said.

Najla Al Awadi, an appointed member from Dubai, agreed that it was important for the FNC to be more effective on order to help build the country. "We can't have an impact until the council has legislative powers," she said. "The evolution of political participation is something that has to happen".