The Guardian: MBZ’s speedy selection to be president “designed to show unity”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been unanimously appointed as the president of the hereditarily controlled nation on the Arabian peninsula by the rulers of the United Arab Emirates.
The state-run WAM news agency said that the decision was taken by the leaders of the country’s seven sheikhdoms during a meeting at Al Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi.
The former president, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, passed away on Friday at 73. Since achieving independence in 1971, this is just the third time the US-aligned country has elected a president.
Khalifa succeeded his father and Mohammed’s father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, one month after his death in 2004.
The Guardian said that “The speed of Saturday’s announcement, a day after Khalifa’s death, appeared designed to show unity and reassure the world of the stability of the oil-and-gas producing country that hosts western military forces.”
According to WAM, the decision was unanimous among the country’s sheikhdoms, including Dubai’s metropolis.
After the election, the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, tweeted, “We congratulate him, and we swear devotion to him, as do our people.”
God-willing, he guides the entire nation toward paths of glory and honour.
In Khalifa’s honour, the UAE is marking a three-day period of mourning, during which businesses are closed, and concerts are cancelled. In Dubai, electronic billboards displayed the late sheikh’s portrait as flags flew at half-staff.
Mohammed, 61, had served as the de facto president of the UAE since 2014 when his half-brother Khalifa had a stroke and disappeared from public view. Under his leadership, the UAE adopted a more aggressive strategy, backing Saudi Arabia in its horrific, multi-year conflict in Yemen.
Mohammed has been suspicious of the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran, likely orchestrating a campaign against Islamists in the UAE following the Arab Spring of 2011 and urging the west to adopt a tougher stance toward Tehran due to concerns about its nuclear programme and support for paramilitary groups in the region.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, however, the UAE under Mohammed has moved to restore ties with Iran and Turkey, both of which have supported Islamists in the area.
