Constitution of UAE
The constitution of a country manages the operations of a country by defining the laws and regulations that are necessary for smooth governance. The form of government and the rights and duties of the citizens are also established in the constitution. The lawyers in UAE e.g. Lawyers in Dubai, Advocates in Sharjah etc, are well versed with the constitution of the UAE and understand the laws and regulations of the country.
The constitution of the UAE was written by Adi Bitar, was established as a temporary constitution on December 2, 1971, and was made permanent in July 1996 by the Federal Supreme Council. There are 152 articles in the Constitution. The areas covered by the constitution are as follows:
1. The federation, its principal aims, and constituencies
2. The fundamental, economic, and social basis of the federation
3. Public freedom, rights, and duties
4. The federal authorities
5. Federal legislation, decrees, and authorities in charge
6. The emirates
7. Allocation of jurisdiction amongst the federation and the emirates.
8. Financial affairs of the federation
9. Armed forces and security forces
10. Final and transitional provisions.
Article 1 of the constitution establishes the UAE as a sovereign, independent, and federal state consisting of seven emirates. The seven emirates have sovereignty over their territories.
The Federal Authority Includes:
1. The President and the Vice President – The president heads the Federal Government of the UAE.
2. The Federal Supreme Council – The Federal Supreme Council is the main governmental authority in the UAE and the heads of all the emirates are a part of the council. It approves and signs all the federal laws before they are passed and decides the policy on political affairs.
3. The Cabinet of Ministers – The Cabinet acts as the advisory and manages the Federal Government. It implements all the governmental policies and develops federal laws for consideration by the Federal National Council. The Supreme Council is responsible for passing these laws.
4. The Federal National Council – The National Council acts as an advisory to the Cabinet and eventually to the Supreme Council.
5. The Federal Judiciary – The Federal Judiciary includes the federal courts and local courts. Each emirate has the power to retain its judicial system.
An amendment to the Constitution considered by the Supreme Council is required in the interests of the Federal Union, the Supreme Council must submit a draft constitutional amendment to the National Council.
The constitution is the backbone of a country and provides the details for all major and minor laws and regulations. To practice law in Abu Dhabi, the lawyers in Abu Dhabi must understand the constitution of the country properly to understand the laws and regulations prevalent in the country. There are a lot of foreign firms operating in Abu Dhabi, it is very important that these firms and the lawyers working in these firms understand the constitution of UAE in-depth and also understand the reasoning behind all the laws and regulations.