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The UAE’s long-time de facto ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was named as president on Saturday, confirming his rise to energy a day after the loss of life of former chief Sheikh Khalifa.
The 61-year-old, who has run the oil-rich Gulf state from behind the scenes since his half-brother was sidelined by in poor health well being in 2014, was “unanimously elected” by rulers of the nation’s seven emirates, the official WAM information company mentioned.
His ascension was broadly anticipated. It got here after he led funeral prayers and helped carry the physique of Sheikh Khalifa, 73, who was buried at Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen cemetery after a easy ceremony on Friday.
Sheikh Mohamed now takes formal management of the desert nation of 10 million — most of them expatriates — whose profile has been steadily rising.
He additionally succeeded Sheikh Khalifa as ruler of Abu Dhabi, which sits on 90 p.c of the United Arab Emirates’ oil wealth.
US President Joe Biden congratulated his “long-time pal” and Russian President Vladimir Putin additionally welcomed his appointment. Syrian chief Bashar al-Assad, who visited the UAE in March, despatched a gushing tribute.
Below the low-key route of Sheikh Mohamed, the third son of founding president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE has put a person into house, despatched a probe to Mars and opened its first nuclear reactor, whereas utilizing its oil-funded clout to develop a extra assertive international coverage.
Carefully allied with Saudi Arabia, it has emerged as a frontrunner of a reshaped Center East for the reason that retreat of conventional Arab powers and the decreased involvement of the US, forging ties with Israel and becoming a member of a Saudi-led conflict towards Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
– ‘Working the present’ –
As Sheikh Mohamed took workplace, flags had been at half-mast across the UAE and companies and authorities workplaces closed for 3 days because the nation enters a 40-day interval of mourning for Sheikh Khalifa, who had dominated since 2004.
Pictures of the late sheikh stared down from billboards and street indicators on main highways. His loss of life drew condolences from Biden, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Iran, demonstrating the UAE’s numerous allegiances.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron is to journey to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to pay tribute to the late Emirati chief and present assist for the brand new president, his workplace introduced.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson can even go to on Sunday, adopted by US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday. Israel’s president and the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Oman are among the many others to make the journey.
The UAE, a former British protectorate, has gone from desert outpost to booming state in its quick historical past, fuelled by its oil wealth and Dubai’s rise as a buying and selling and monetary centre.
Sheikh Mohamed, typically often called “MBZ”, took a number one position after Sheikh Khalifa retreated from public view in 2014, when he had surgical procedure after a stroke. The reason for his loss of life was not introduced.
Sheikh Mohamed, who was crown prince of Abu Dhabi from November 2004, has additionally been serving as deputy commander of the armed forces and chairman of the Govt Council of Abu Dhabi, which controls the emirate’s substantial funds.
The brand new president is prone to face better competitors to the UAE’s standing because the regional monetary hub, significantly from Saudi Arabia, and will toughen its stance on Iran, analysts say.
However “functionally it modifications little; MBZ has been working the present virtually from the get-go”, tweeted Ryan Bohl, a Center East analyst at Stratfor Worldview.
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