 Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum family since 1833 ; the emirate is an absolute monarchy with no elections ( other than the few thousand Dubai citizens participating in the electoral college for the Federal National Council of the UAE ) . The ruler , Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and member of the Supreme Council of the Union ( SCU ) . Dubai appoints 8 members in two @-@ term periods to the Federal National Council ( <unk> ) of the UAE , the supreme federal legislative body . 
