The UAE is governed by the Supreme Council, which comprises the leaders of the seven emirates. The Federal National Council (FNC) is an advisory body to the Supreme Council, and has 40 members, who are UAE nationals. The FNC has a supervisory role and is responsible for examining proposed federal legislation.

Apparently prompted by the social unrest in the region, the UAE president, Sheikh Khalifa, announced the creation of a committee to oversee the FNC election-the current term expired in mid-February. The election will be held in September 2011. However, the committee is made up of many of the same officials as the body that oversaw the previous election in 2006. In that year, half of the 40-member FNC was elected by 6,689 hand-picked Emiratis. The membership of this electoral college has been increased under the new rules. The new announcements fall short of the aspirations of some Emiratis for greater political participation, and 160 members of society, including doctors and lawyers, have signed a petition calling for direct elections to the FNC.

The FNC, despite being only an advisory body, is becoming more assertive on legislative issues. Some members of the previous body had accused the government of appearing to accept the FNC's recommendations without changing anything in practice. The recent announcement indicates a willingness to broaden political participation but does not address the issue of enhancing the powers of the FNC.