| Federal Supreme Council | |
| House Type: | Unicameral |
| Leader1 Type: | President |
| Leader1: | Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Leader2 Type: | Vice President |
| Leader2: | Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
| Members: | 7 (one for each emirate) |
| Meeting Place: | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| Website: | Official website |
| Preceded By: | Trucial States Council |
The Federal Supreme Council (Arabic: المجلس الأعلى للاتحاد|lit=Supreme Council of the Union), also known as the Supreme Council of Rulers,[1] is the highest constitutional authority in the United Arab Emirates, being the highest legislative and executive body.[2] It replaced the earlier Trucial States Council upon the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971[3] and establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation. It is the highest federal authority in terms of hierarchy in the five federal authorities prescribed in the Constitution followed by the president and the vice president, federal cabinet, Federal National Council and the federal judiciary.
Trucial States Council was established as an informal consultative body and held its first meeting on 23 March 1952[4] to bring the rulers closer together with the possibility of their forming some political or economic association in the future.[5] [6] It came into being following the British recognition of Fujairah as an independent emirate within the Trucial States.[7] The council met twice a year under the chairmanship of the British representative in Dubai and held 30 such meetings between 1952 and 1968.[8] [9] [10] In 1964, Adi Bitar was appointed as a legal adviser to the council. In 1965, the Trucial Coast Development Council was established. In 1966, the British political agency withdrew itself from presiding over the meetings and Sheikh Saqr al-Qasimi was elected as the president. He was soon replaced by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi.[11]
After the Union in 1971, the Trucial States Council consisted of the six rulers of the Emirates who signed the Constitution and was renamed as the Federal Supreme Council. It elected Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi, as president and appointed a federal cabinet. On 23 December 1971, the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah sent a letter to the Council requesting to join the union. The Council agreed to the request and the Ras al-Khaimah was admitted to the Union on 10 February 1972.
The Federal Supreme Council meets four times each year and its meetings are often on an informal basis and attend meetings of the Board, consisting of the seven rulers of the emirates or those acting in their emirate in the case of their absence. Each has one vote in the council's resolutions.
The Supreme Council of the Union has the following functions:
The Federal Supreme Council consists of the seven rulers of each emirate:[12]
a. The Constitution provides that the Emirs of Abu Dhabi and Dubai have a veto
تاريخ الإمارات العربية المتحدة
المجلس الأعلى للاتحاد
Supreme Council/ Politics of the United Arab Emirates