The path seems clear for the United Arab Emirates. Its president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, has appointed his eldest son, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the richest of the seven emirates of the federation, state media announced Wednesday (March 29th).

The ruler of Abu Dhabi has traditionally been the president of the federation since it was founded in 1971. As a result, the new crown prince should, in the future, become the next ruler of the Emirates.

The current leader Mohammed bin Zayed, known as "MBZ", was appointed crown prince upon his father's death in November 2004, when his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa became both president of the Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Diminished by a stroke in 2014, Sheikh Khalifa had retained his official titles, but MBZ had begun to de facto rule both the emirate and the federation for years.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed had finally officially become president of the Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi upon Sheikh Khalifa's death in May 2022.

Key player in the Middle East

His appointment as head of state had sparked speculation about his succession as crown prince of Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Khaled or Tahnoun bin Zayed, a brother of MBZ, were approached for the role.

MBZ has also appointed several of his brothers to key positions.

One of them, the owner of Manchester City football club, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, 52, has been appointed vice president of the United Arab Emirates. He exercises this function jointly with the ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the federation, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

Tahnoun bin Zayed, national security adviser and chairman of sovereign wealth fund ADQ, was appointed Abu Dhabi's deputy ruler on Wednesday, as was Hazza bin Zayed, another brother of the president.

An oil-rich country of some 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates has experienced a diplomatic and military rise in recent years that has placed it at the heart of Middle Eastern geopolitics.

Allies of Saudi Arabia and the United States, the Emirates of "MBZ" were the first Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel in 2020.

"MBZ" is also widely seen as the one who sent 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 Arab Spring of 2011, "MBZ" can count on the wealth of Abu Dhabi, which holds 90% of the Emirates' oil reserves, to assert his power in the region and show his support for certain regimes, such as that of Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

With AFP

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