April 4, 2003	Friday	Safar 1, 1424

DUBAI, April 3: The rulers of Dubai have decided to introduce democracy at the local body level and have started preparations to have democratically elected district councils within the next three months.

General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, has ordered councils to be formed in different districts of the emirate “to enable people to participate in the process of decision-making, particularly in endeavours aimed at providing an honourable life to citizens.”

According to the official announcement, a meeting of the Dubai Executive Council decided that such councils should be democratically elected.

Dubai will be the third Gulf emirate to mix democracy with family rule.

Kuwait and Bahrain have gone through the jumpy road of democracy, and have elected parliaments.

Elected members of the proposed district councils in Dubai will focus on education, health, sports, culture, civic issues and other economic aspects of their respective districts.