UAE names Mohammed bin Zayed as leader after brother’s death

Leadership change is likely to have few short-term implications as Mohammed for years has steered the country’s policy. 

Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan leads the funeral prayer for his half brother Khalifa on Friday. Picture: AFP

The United Arab Emirates has named Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan as its new president following the death of his half-brother, elevating the Abu Dhabi crown prince after nearly a decade as de facto ruler.

The leadership change is likely to have few short-term political or economic implications for the UAE, as Sheikh Mohammed has steered the country’s domestic and foreign policy for years, alongside a cadre of powerful brothers and other leaders of the federation.

The country’s federal supreme council, comprising the rulers of the country’s seven emirates, unanimously elected Sheikh Mohammed as president, state news agency WAM said late on Saturday. Leaders of Abu Dhabi’s royal family have traditionally held the role of president of the seven-member federation, which includes Dubai.

The new leader’s half-brother, Khalifa, died a day earlier. He had an operation after suffering a stroke in 2014 and was rarely seen publicly afterwards.

Since then, Mohammed, 61, has directed the UAE to be more outward-looking. The country has intervened in regional conflicts, used its oil wealth to buy influence abroad and established itself as the Middle East’s commercial hub, giving the expatriates that make up nine-tenths of the population a lifestyle akin to that in their home countries.

Mohammed, known as MBZ, is widely considered to be the driving force behind the country’s move to agree diplomatic relations with Israel and its efforts to lobby the US and other states to contain what he considers to be an expansionist Iranian policy in the Middle East.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the UAE has sought to play a neutral role, condemning the Russian actions while avoiding implementing US and European sanctions and remaining open to Russians seeking refuge or moving wealth.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, also known as MBZ.

The UAE’s position on Russia has strained ties with the Biden administration and raised concerns that the country will become a bypass for sanctioned Russians. President Joe Biden spoke with Sheikh Mohammed on Friday and said he wanted to deepen the strategic partnership between the US and UAE.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange a call between Mr Biden and Mohammed, as well as a separate call with Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, to build international support for Ukraine and contain a surge in oil prices.

Central to the UAE’s frustration with its relationship with the US has been Iran. The Emirates say they have expressed concerns to US officials about what they see as the restrained US response to missile strikes this year by Iran-allied Houthi militants in Yemen against the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

UAE officials have also said they were concerned about the potential revival of a nuclear deal with Iran, negotiations over which have recently stalled.

Mohammed’s mother, Fatima, was reputedly the favourite wife of UAE founder Zayed, and the former leader long groomed his son for power. He and his five full brothers are known as the “Bani Fatima”, or children of Fatima, and for years have held the most senior positions in Abu Dhabi and the UAE government: Abdullah is the country’s foreign minister, Tahnoun is the spy chief and Mansour is the deputy prime minister.

Mohammed’s successor as Abu Dhabi’s crown prince hasn’t been announced.

The Wall Street Journal