Sultanate Emirate
A sultanate or emirate is a type of Muslim governance characterized by a hereditary ruler who serves as the head of state, often blending traditional monarchic authority with modern administrative roles. Predominantly found in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, these systems feature rulers known as sultans or emirs. They typically appoint cabinet ministers and officials, maintaining significant control over governmental functions. While sultanates and emirates are generally nondemocratic, there are emerging trends towards greater citizen engagement, particularly in places like the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, where reforms have aimed to strengthen local governance and public participation.
The United Arab Emirates, for instance, consists of seven emirates that united under a federal system in 1971, allowing for some degree of localized governance while adhering to a broader national framework. Similarly, in Malaysia, sultans serve as regional leaders within a constitutional monarchy, illustrating the blend of traditional and modern political structures. While political parties may exist, they are often closely regulated by the ruling sultan or emir, limiting opposition. Overall, sultanates and emirates reflect a unique intersection of heritage, authority, and evolving governance in the Islamic world.
Subject Terms
Sultanate Emirate
Guiding Premise
A sultanate or emirate is a Muslim form of government is a political system in which a hereditary ruler—a monarch, chieftain, or military leader—acts as the head of state. Emirates and sultanates are most commonly found in Islamic nations in the Middle East, although others are found in Southeast Asia as well. There are only a handful of official national-level sultanates and emirates in the world in the early twenty-first century, along with several more at various subnational levels. Sultans and emirs frequently assume titles such as president or prime minister in addition to their royal designations, meshing the traditional ideal of a monarch with the administrative capacities of a constitutional political system.
Typical Structure
A sultanate or emirate combines the administrative duties of the executive with the powers of a monarch. The emir or sultan acts as the head of government, appointing all cabinet ministers and officials. In Brunei, a sultanate, the government was established according to the constitution (set up after the country declared autonomy from Britain in 1959). The sultan did assemble a legislative council in order to facilitate the lawmaking process, but this council consistently remained subject to the authority of the sultan and not to a democratic process. Most members were appointed by the sultan, though in the twenty-first century a limited number were elected. The sultan also maintained a ministerial system by appointment and also served as the nation's chief religious leader.
In some cases, an emirate or sultanate appears similar to a federal system. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for example, the nation consists of not one but seven emirates. This system came into being after the seven small regions achieved independence from Great Britain. Each emirate developed its own government system under the leadership of an emir. However, in 1971, the individual emirates agreed to join as a federation, drafting a constitution that identified the areas of common interest to the entire group of emirates. Like Brunei, the UAE's initial government structure focused on the authority of the emirs and the various councils and ministries formed at the UAE's capital of Abu Dhabi. However, beginning in the early twenty-first century, the UAE's legislative body, the Federal National Council, has been elected by electoral colleges from the seven emirates, thus further engaging various local areas and reflecting their interests.
Sultanates and emirates are at times part of a larger nation, with the sultans or emirs answering to the authority of another government. This is the case in Malaysia, where the country is governed by a constitutional monarchy. However, most of Malaysia's western political units are governed by sultans, who act as regional governors and, in many cases, religious leaders, but remain subject to the king's authority in Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Role of the Citizen
Sultanates and emirates are traditionally nondemocratic governments. Like those of other monarchs, the seats of emirs and sultans are hereditary. Any votes for these leaders to serve as prime minister or other head of government are cast by ministers selected by the emirs and sultans. Political parties may exist in these countries as well, but these parties are strictly managed by the sultan or emir; opposition parties are virtually nonexistent in such systems, and some emirates have no political parties at all.
As shown in the UAE and Malaysia, however, there are signs that the traditional sultanate or emirate is increasingly willing to engage their respective citizens. For example, the UAE, between 2006 and 2013, launched a series of reforms designed to strengthen the role of local governments and relations with the people they serve. Malaysia may allow sultans to continue their regional controls, but at the same time, the country continues to evolve its federal system, facilitating multiparty democratic elections for its national legislature.
Examples
Bibliography
"Brunei." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 6 Jan. 2022, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/brunei/#government. Accessed 31 Jan. 2022.
"Government Type." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/government-type/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2022.
"Malaysia." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 13 Jan. 2022, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malaysia/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2022.
Mydans, Seth. "In a Sultanate Known as Solo, One Too Many Kings." The New York Times, 17 Feb. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/world/asia/17solo.html. Accessed 4 Jan. 2019.
"Oman." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 14 Jan. 2022, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/oman/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2022.
"Political System." UAE Interact. UAE National Media Council, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.