The Government of Dubai ( ar, حكومة دبي) is the subnational authority that governs the

Emirate of Dubai The Emirate of Dubai ( ar, إمارة دبيّ; pr. ) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It is the most populous emirate of the UAE. The capital of the emirate is the eponymous city, Dubai. Geography The city of Dubai i ...

, one of the seven constituent monarchies which make up the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

. The executive authority and head of the government is the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the ruler of Dubai ...

. The Ruler of Dubai appoints the Dubai Executive Council, which is led by the Crown prince of Dubai and is responsible for the day-to-day management of Dubai Government agencies such as the

Dubai Municipality Dubai Municipality ( ar, بلدية دبي) is the Government of Dubai municipal body with jurisdiction over city services and the upkeep of facilities in the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates and reports directly to the Dubai Executive Coun ...

and numerous other governing entities.

History

Since 1830, the

had a semi-autonomous government led by the

Ruler of Dubai The Ruler of Dubai is the position of the hereditary monarch and head of government of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the six ruling families of the UAE. The Ruler is also considered the head of the House of Maktoum, the royal family of Dubai. ...

, who would delegate responsibilities of managing the affairs of the emirate to representatives in an informal government. Prior to the unification of the

, Dubai had already started issuing local laws as part of the

Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...

on matters of taxation and trade, allowing the emirate to attract foreign trade and develop it's fishing and pearling industry. Following the unification of the United Arab Emirates and the establishment of the federal government of the UAE in 1971, the Emirate of Dubai maintained autonomy for various domestic affairs including education, transportation, economic affairs, and security with its own

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

unlike other northern emirates that relied on federal ministries. On February 24th, 2003, was issued by the Ruler of Dubai establishing the Dubai Executive Council as a legislative council to support the Ruler of Dubai in his duties and exercising some of his responsibilities, with the head of the council and the deputies to be appointed by the Ruler and the remaining seats to be distributed to other members, usually heads of major Dubai Government departments such as the heads of

and the

Dubai Police Force The Dubai Police Force ( ar, القيادة العامة لشرطة دبي) is the 17,500 strong police force for the Emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. They come under the jurisdiction of the ruler of Dubai, and they cover an area of ...

Organisation

The

is the

absolute monarch Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constituti ...

of the Emirate of Dubai and has the sole authority to issue decrees establishing governmental departments, issuing and amending laws and is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

. The Ruler of Dubai has since 2003 designated some responsibility of overseeing the Dubai Governmental departments to the Dubai Executive Council which is tasked with supervising governmental departments, preparing the yearly budget, issuing certain Executive Decrees, and reporting to the Ruler of Dubai on a regular basis. Dubai Government departments or agencies are formed by

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

, such as the decree to form the Dubai Police Force in 1956 and then generally added to the responsibilities of the Dubai Executive Council. In 2022, the Dubai Government has 58 governmental departments under the supervision of the Dubai Executive Council.

Dubai Executive Council

Following it's formation in 2003, the Dubai Executive Council has become the legislative arm of the Dubai Government, enforcing royal decrees issued by the Ruler of Dubai into governmental regulations and policies and facilitating intra-governmental communication. stipulates the Council to be organised into a Chairman of the Council who is appointed by royal decree and members of the council, appointed on the advice of the Chairman of the Council by the Ruler of Dubai. Law 3 of 2003 allows any individual to become a member of the Council, irrespective of whether they lead a governmental department or entity but requires the heads of 14 departments to be members, such as

and

. As of July 2022, the Dubai Executive Council has 22 members including the Chairman of the Council, which has been led by the Crown Prince of Dubai

Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 14 November 1982) has been Crown Prince of Dubai since 2008. He previously served as Deputy Ruler of Dubai from 2006 to 2008. He is popularly known as Fazza ( ar, فزاع), the name under ...

since September 2006. The remaining members include:

First Lady of Dubai

''First Lady of Dubai'' ( ar, سيدة الأولى في دبي) is the name given to the senior wife and consort to the

ruler of Dubai The Ruler of Dubai is the position of the hereditary monarch and head of government of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the six ruling families of the UAE. The Ruler is also considered the head of the House of Maktoum, the royal family of Dubai. ...

. The first lady is the chief matriarch and is expected to represent

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

in elegance and demeanor. The current first lady is Sheikha Hind, wife of Sheikh

. The position of first lady carries official duties by helping the sheikh as well as inaugurating various charities. One of the charities that Sheikha Hind is affiliated with is the UAE foodbank—she is the chairperson of the charity. Nonetheless, the first lady attends many official ceremonies and functions of state either along with or in place of the emir. They also organise events and civic programs, and typically get involved in different social causes.

References

External links