Mohamed bin Zayed is elected president of the United Arab Emirates

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayedalready considered the de facto leader of United Arab Emirateswas officially elected president of the wealthy Gulf monarchy this Saturday, in place of his half-brother, Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who died the day before.

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Mohamed bin Zayed, 61 years old and known by his initials “MBZ”, “was elected unanimously” by the members of the Supreme Council of the Emirates federation, which brings together seven emirates — including those of Abu Dhabi and Dubai – – reported the official WAM press agency.

He is the third son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the first president and founding father of the Emirates federation.

In practice, “MBZ” was already at the head of the country since his brother suffered a stroke in January 2014, but his election formalizes his position as leader of this extremely rich oil state of 10 million inhabitants.

The crown prince “thanked” the sheikhs of the Council “for their trust”, while the country began a 40-day period of mourning for the death of his 73-year-old half-brother Khalifa.

The man was buried in the al-Bateen cemetery in Abu Dhabi. Following his passing, several world leaders offered their condolences to the Emirates.

US President Joe Biden praised Sheikh Khalifa as “a true partner and friend of the United States.”

Other great allies of the Emirates, such as King Salman of Saudi Arabia and his crown prince Mohamed bin Salman expressed their “great sadness”.

– Strengthening of the policy –

Mohamed bin Zayed will thus lead an oil country of which he was already the de facto leader. For a decade, the country experienced an important diplomatic and military rise that placed it at the center of the geopolitics of the Middle East.

Under his leadership, the United Arab Emirates led a stronger policy internationally.

An ally of Saudi Arabia and the United States, the Emirates of “MBZ” were the first Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel in 2020.

“MBZ” also helped send Emirati troops to Yemen in 2015, as part of a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels.

Considered particularly hostile to the popular uprisings of the 2011 Arab Spring, “MBZ” can count on Abu Dhabi’s wealth to assert its power in the region and show its support for regimes such as Egypt’s Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Abu Dhabi holds 90% of the Emirates’ oil reserves.

But human rights NGOs try to make human rights abuses visible, such as the case of Ahmed Mansur, a pro-democracy activist imprisoned since 2017.

They also regularly criticize the poor working conditions of many migrant workers in the Emirates and other Gulf countries.

Source: Elcomercio

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