The oldest son of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Khaled, has been named the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the Gulf state, along with his brothers, state media reported on Wednesday.
Sheikh Mohammed appointed his brother Sheikh Mansour as vice president of the UAE, alongside Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He became the president and ruler of Abu Dhabi last year after leading the OPEC oil producer on behalf of the United States for years.
This has been done to further consolidate power in Abu Dhabi, the political capital of the UAE federation of seven emirates, due to its enormous oil wealth. The commercial and touristic center of the Gulf is Dubai.
Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security advisor who oversees a vast business empire, and Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan were named by Sheikh Mohammed as deputy rulers of Abu Dhabi.
He maintained “some power-sharing balance, but only within (Abu Dhabi’s) Al Nahyan clan” by appointing notable brothers to new positions, according to Cinzia Bianco, research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, on Twitter.
Sheikh Khaled’s selection as crown prince represents a trend in most Gulf Arab monarchies, including Saudi Arabia, towards direct lineage – sons over brothers – for succession.
Since Sheikh Mohammed’s father established the UAE federation in 1971, Abu Dhabi has presided over it.
According to analysts, Sheikh Mohammed, also known as MbZ, had been preparing his son for leadership roles in the business, government, and the security sector, including intelligence.
Before taking over after his brother’s death last May, MbZ had been the de facto ruler for years. This was during a period of strained relations between the UAE and the United States over what was viewed as the latter’s withdrawal from the region.
Additionally, the UAE has strengthened relations with China and Russia.
The nation, which has fewer than 10 million citizens, takes pleasure in its economic and political stability. Millions of expatriate workers live there, making up the majority of the workforce, and it has one of the highest per-capita income amounts in the globe.
