Because of the nature of its make up, the UAE Government works in a different way to countries of democracies in the West. Firstly, there are no parties and no real elections. In since countries you may have two levels of government, but since the UAE is a federation, the government works on three levels: the federal level, which is equivalent to country government; emirate level for each emirate, such as Dubai, for example; and the municipal government. Emirates work on two levels, federal and emirate level. Much of the time these are in parallel, but in other cases, they may work differently. Either way, power is hierarchical and filters through downwards.
Often you will hear reference to the Supreme Council which is basically the rulers of the seven emirates. The ruler of each emirate is a hereditary position within the family concerned, e.g the Nahyans in Abu Dhabi and the Makhtoums in Dubai. – and will usually appoint a crown prince to determine the progeny, although these are not always in place. The president and vice president are nominated by these seven members. Historically, the Abu Dhabi ruler has been the President and the vice President has come from Dubai. This has been a five year term in the past, but has been renewed on every occasion. The supreme council is the top decision making authority of the United Arab Emirates. Think of it, like seven kings getting together.
The President, currently HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan chooses a Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al Makhtoum is also the vice President, but that does not have to be the case. The Prime Minister then appoints a cabinet, similar to other countries, with a foreign minister, economy minister and the like. This is then approved by the President. The members of the cabinet could be other members of the ruling families or other prominent members of society. More and more there are prominent business men, and there are women occupying positions in the cabinet, a though probably unheard of 20 years ago. So while this may be a different to the make up of the West, functionally there are many similarities.
There is also a Federal National Council which acts more as a consultative assembly and comprises of 40 representatives from the various emirates. These are allocated on a proportion of population basis with Abu Dhabi and Dubai receiving the largest number of seats (8), each. Recently, it was announced that half of these 40 seats would be elected and voted by members of the local councils with the others set by the Emirate rulers themselves. Some say that this body is combination of consultative and governance to maintain direction and policy.
Legislatively, although Islam is the source, the UAE has managed to balance western culture with Islamic values, so pu8shed down to the business level, there is much similarity to practice in the West. And because Islamic legislation is not strictly applied, it leads to a more open environment than some neighbouring countries.
As far as power goes, it is quite clear to see that this exists at the two levels of federal and emirate level. Dubai is seen to work autonomously, but it also takes some decisions from a federal level, and that level of control is part of the reason for its success. So while each emirate is self governing, the structure around them is almost country-like. Judicially, the UAE operate Islamic and secular courts.
The UAE has moved towards a modernity, from a government sense in a remarkably short period of time. How far down this line it will go will be determined by the need to open up to trade, investment and tourism. But the balance will still remain with the secular.
The UAE Cabinet
Here is a full list of the Ministers of the Cabinet, as announced in 2006.
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - Prime Minister
Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Deputy Prime Minister
Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Deputy Prime Minister
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum - Minister of Defence
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum - Minister of Finance and Industry
Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Minister of Interior
Sheikh Masnour bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Minister of Presidential Affairs
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan- Foreign Minister
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan - Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan - Minister of Public Works
Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi - Minister of Economy
Mohammed bin Nakhira Al Dhaheri- Minister of Justice
Dr Mohammed Khalfan bin Kharbash - Minister of State for Financial and Industrial Affairs
Mohammed bin Dhaen Al Hameli - Minister of Energy
Dr Ali bin Abdullah Al Ka'abi - Minister of Labour
Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansour - Minister of Governmental Sector Development
Mohammed Abdullah Al Gargawi - Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs
Mohammed Hussein Al Shaali - Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Mariam Mohammed Khalfan Al Roumi - Minister of Social Affairs
Dr Hanif Hassan Ali - Minister of Education
Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash - Minister of State for FNC Affairs
Humaid Mohammed Obeid Al Qattami - Minister of Health
Dr Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi - Minister of Environment and Water
Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais - Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development
For a more detailed understanding of the political system, check UAE Interact and Wikipedia.
In the UAE, everything revolves around the government departments, from getting your residence visa to paying your speeding ticket to finding industry data. The government sites in the UAE are particularly useful with a whole range of information to sift through.
The Official Site from the Ministry of Information. Wide ranging in its scope, what is excellent is the official downloadable yearbook of the UAE, available for free.
Dubai Municipality Guide
The portal of the Dubai Municipality providing services and data.
UAE Federal e-Government Portal
A must visit comprehensive site for all types of visitors.
Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Oodles of information on Dubai Business.
Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Abu Dhabi's equivalent, with contact details of numerous companies.
Dubai Government's portal
Dubai Government's Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing
The official Dubai tourism site
Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs
Information on the UAE Labour Law and other relevant procedures.
Department of Naturalization and Residency Administration Dubai
THE Dubai Visa Site.
Ministry of Economy
Much statistical data from economy to trade to births and deaths