Federal vs. Unitary Systems
Switzerland: Switzerland has a federal system in which the power is divided between the national government and 26 cantons. Each canton has its constitution and enjoys a large degree of autonomy in areas such as education, health, and local law. This is more decentralized, where local governance exists within the framework of unified national policy.

UAE: The UAE, too, is a federal system, but it has much stronger centralization. It has seven emirates under monarchical rule. There exists a federal government, although the individual emirates still retain much control, notably over exploiting natural resources and making local laws. The federal government is powerful but not in a dominating position over individual emirates.

Legislative Systems of Switzerland: The Swiss Federal Assembly is a bicameral legislature, composed of two chambers—the National Council, representing the people and the Council of States, representing the cantons. While the former applies proportional representation to its membership, the latter has equal representation for each. That is to say, there is a balance between a system that recognizes the population size and one that acknowledges regional interests. The Swiss legislature indeed holds real legislative powers in the form of passing legislation, reviewing policies, and exercising oversight over the executive. The system is participatory in that it includes referendums and allows initiatives to be introduced; it is one of the most participatory legislative systems in the world.

UAE: UAE has a Federal National Council (FNC) that is advisory on a bicameral basis.
The FNC has a total of 40 members, half of whom are elected by a small appointed electoral body, and the rest are appointed by the emirates’ rulers. Although it can discuss and give recommendations regarding laws, it cannot grant legislation nor go against a decision taken by the ruling families. In fact, the UAE’s legislative body is quite symbolic and doesn’t have much power when compared to Switzerland. Comparative Analysis The apparent difference between the Swiss and UAE legislatures is in terms of power and representation. The bicameral legislature of Switzerland, with its popular and regional representations, is pretty strong. This institution actually lies at the center of governance and holds legislative powers that come along with establishing laws and restraining the executive. In fact, the UAE legislature is for the most part advisory. It has a bicameral nature but holds exceedingly limited powers in comparison with the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. It hence underlines that, in as much as both are federations, the way tht the two countries conduct their governance is rather fundamentally different from one another: Switzerland ensures democratic participation and power-sharing, whilst the UAE has a central government led by monarchs were very little originates from the grassroots.