The reclusive Emir: UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
India Today
UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan died at the age of 73 on Friday. He served as the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the president of the UAE from 2004 onwards.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan died today at 73. According to the constitution, Vice-President and Premier, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum - the ruler of Dubai, will act as President until the federal council elects a new president within 30 days.
“Ministry of Presidential Affairs declares official mourning and flags flying at half-mast for 40 days starting today and disrupting work at the ministries, federal departments, local institutions and the private sector for three days,” said a statement.
Khalifa, born in 1948 in eastern of Abu Dhabi, completed his graduation at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He has been married to Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei and they have eight children.
He succeeded his father as the 16th Emir of Abu Dhabi on November 2, 2004, and the presidency of the United Arab Emirates the following day.
He was also the supreme commander of theUnited Arab Emirates Armed Forces between 2004 and 2022 and acted as the chairman of the Supreme Petroleum Council from the late 1980s.
Since the late 1990s, Khalifa began carrying out aspects of the presidency in a de-facto capacity after his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan took ill.
In his honour, the world’s tallest building Burj Dubai was renamed Burj Khalifa after he bailed out a debt-laden Dubai, following the 2009 economic crisis.
