Sh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan elected UAE President after death of Sh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

[MenInG]

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has died at the age of 73, Emirates news agency WAM reported on Friday.

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs declared official national mourning for the death of the president for 40 days from Friday.

Work in both public and private sectors will be paused for three days, also from Friday, the Dubai Media Office clarified.

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His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, passed away on Friday according to a statement by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs.

A statement released by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) read, “The Ministry of Presidential Affairs condoles the people of the UAE, the Arab and Islamic nation and the world over the demise of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE.”

Following the news of the 73-year-old leader’s demise, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced 40 days of mourning. Flags within the country are to be flown at half-mast as federal and local offices are to suspend services.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan began his tenure in office on November 3, 2004, as he was elected to succeed his father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who previously served as the country’s first president.

Sheikh Khalifa's rule was synonymous for a major restructuring of the federal government as well as the government of Abu Dhabi. The country witnessed accelerated development under his rule as he launched the first strategic plan for the UAE government to achieve balanced and sustainable development.

As a ruler, Sheikh Khalifa was determined to continue his father’s legacy, “[it] will continue to be the beacon guiding us into the future, a prosperous future where security and stability will reign," he had stated.

Moreover, the president was also responsible for steering the development of the country’s oil and gas sector including downstream industries which contributed to economic diversification.

The ruler also initiated the process of direct elections in the UAE as he established a mechanism to evolve the nomination system for members of the Federal National Council.

His reign saw development within the northern emirates as he undertook tours within the region for the development of building projects related to housing, education and social services.

At the news of Sheikh Khalifa's passing, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to his official Twitter account to express his condolences.

"Deeply grieved to hear about the passing of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of UAE. UAE has lost a visionary leader & Pakistan a great friend. We send our heartfelt condolences & sympathies to the government & people of the UAE. May Allah rest his soul in peace!" the Tweet read.

The army chief also expressed his condolences.

Express Tribune

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Truly saddened to learn of the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan President of the UAE & Ruler of Abu Dhabi. He was a great friend of Pakistan & a visionary leader of his people. My heartfelt condolences & prayers go to the Royal family & the Emirati people.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1525090518933180416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deeply grieved to hear about the passing of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of UAE. UAE has lost a visionary leader & Pakistan a great friend. We send our heartfelt condolences & sympathies to the government & people of the UAE. May Allah rest his soul in peace!</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1525064805308047361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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[SpiritOf1903]

Terrible legacy allowing the state to become immoral and unIslamic

 

[MenInG]

New Delhi: India announced one day of state mourning on Saturday following the demise of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

According to a communication issued by the Union Home Ministry to all states and union territories on Friday, as a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, the Government of India has decided that there will be one day's state mourning on May 14 across the country.

On the day of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment, the communication said.

Sheikh Khalifa, ailing for a long time, died on Friday. He was 73. He was the eldest son of the UAE's founder President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

He served as the President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi from November 3, 2004. He was elected to succeed his father who served as the UAE's first president from 1971 until he passed away on November 2, 2004.

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who died on Friday, was a reserved figure who saw the United Arab Emirates (UAE) skyrocket on the global scene — but rarely appeared in public himself.

Sheikh Khalifa, who died at the age of 73, succeeded his father, the late UAE founding president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as ruler of Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest of the seven-member UAE.

Sheikh Khalifa had rarely been seen in public since 2014, after undergoing surgery following a stroke, even as his country continued to gain recognition on the global scene.

Private figure

Khalifa bin Zayed took over as the UAE's second president in November 2004, succeeding his father as the 16th ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the country's seven cities and until 1971 an independent emirate.

Sheikh Khalifa, who had no formal higher education, was at the helm of the UAE as it began its global rise, with service-oriented Dubai emerging as a global tourism and trade hub and Abu Dhabi pumping oil as a key player of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).

He came to the rescue of Dubai when it was hit by the global financial crisis in 2009, extending a multi-billion-dollar lifeline to the debt-laden emirate.

In a show of gratitude, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum suddenly announced the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, would be named after the president. The tower was initially dubbed Burj Dubai.

With a level-headed domestic policy, Sheikh Khalifa was notoriously media-shy and remained a marginal figure on the global political scene.

In a 2009 note to then-US president Barack Obama published by WikiLeaks, former US ambassador to the UAE Richard Olson described Sheikh Khalifa as "distant and uncharismatic".

The leader ushered in the UAE's first-ever elections in December 2006, when handpicked electoral colleges chose half of the 40 members of an advisory Federal National Council.

Sheikh Khalifa said the polling, in which women took part both as voters and candidates, would culminate in direct elections. The UAE has yet to hold direct elections.

With the 2011 Arab Spring, the state launched an unprecedented crackdown on voices of dissent marked by mass trials of its nationals and foreigners, mostly Islamists, in Abu Dhabi's security court.

Military involvement
During the first years of his reign, Sheikh Khalifa appeared inclined to perpetuate his father's foreign policy of non-interference.

But the UAE later became embroiled in regional conflicts, joining the US-led air campaign against the Islamic State in Syria.

And in a historic first, the Gulf country in 2015 sent ground troops to Yemen as part of a Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Sheikh Khalifa's half-brother, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, was behind that decision and has been seen as the de facto ruler of the emirate in recent years.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed was born in the oasis of Al Ain, his father's home town, which did not have schools at the time. He studied the Holy Quran.

In 1969, Sheikh Khalifa was named crown prince of Abu Dhabi at the age of 21. Two years later, he became Abu Dhabi's prime minister.

As president, the sheikh was commander in chief of the UAE's armed forces and headed Abu Dhabi's Supreme Petroleum Council, which exerts wide powers in the energy sector.

Like his late father, Sheikh Khalifa maintained close links with various local tribes, often hosting their leaders in his palace.

He was married to Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei. The couple have eight children.

DAWN

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WamBreaking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WamBreaking</a> | The Federal Supreme Council elects <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MohamedbinZayed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MohamedbinZayed</a> as UAE President <a href="https://t.co/yHduknZC3L">pic.twitter.com/yHduknZC3L</a></p>— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) <a href="https://twitter.com/WAMNEWS_ENG/status/1525400762163019777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Federal Supreme Council on Saturday unanimously elected His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Mohamed, who served as Abu Dhabi Crown Prince since November 2004, will also be the 17th Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

The Council held a meeting today at Al Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs said that according to Article 51 of the Constitution, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was unanimously elected as the President of the UAE to succeed the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Sheikh Mohamed has also served as the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces since January 2005.

The UAE began 40 days of mourning on Friday following the death of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who ruled the UAE since 2004. Government and private offices have been shut for three days starting Saturday, with work to resume on Tuesday, May 17.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Heartiest congratulations to my brother <a href="https://twitter.com/MohamedBinZayed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MohamedBinZayed</a> on his election as new President of UAE. I extend best wishes to him and look forward to working together to further strengthen our multifaceted partnership. Pakistan-UAE fraternal ties are destined to scale new heights, IA</p>— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1525551339522117634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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[daytrader]

Army also sending condolences publicly

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COAS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COAS</a> & all ranks of Pak Army express heartfelt condolence on the sad demise of President of UAE,HH, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. “Pak has lost a great friend. May Allah Almighty bless his soul & give strength to bereaved family 2 bear this irreparable loss, Ameen” COAS.</p>— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1525076612198416387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My warm facilitations to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan on being elected President of UAE. It is his vision that is already transforming UAE into a leading economic & political player on the global stage. As PM I saw first hand his brotherly affection for Pakistan.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1525715909897224194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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[BouncerGuy]

UAE pardons 57 Bangladeshis jailed for anti-Hasina protests

The president of the United Arab Emirates has pardoned 57 Bangladeshi citizens jailed for holding protests in the Gulf country against their own government.

The decision, announced on Tuesday, by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan “cancels” the sentences of the Bangladeshi nationals, state news agency WAM reported.

The prosecution had charged them with “crimes of gathering in a public place and protesting against their home government with the intent to incite unrest”.

Three people received life sentences and 53 were sentenced to 10 years in prison. One Bangladeshi, who state media said had entered the UAE illegally and “participated in the riot”, was sentenced to 11 years.

Human Rights Watch described them as being “arbitrarily detained, convicted and sentenced to long prison terms … based on their participation in peaceful demonstrations”.

Sheikh Mohamed’s move to pardon the prisoners comes less than a week after he spoke with Bangladesh’s new interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, who took over after Hasina was toppled from power and fled to India amid last month’s protests

That unrest in Bangladesh began in June with student-led protests against civil service job quotas. It escalated into mass demonstrations calling for Hasina, who had been in power since 2009, to quit.

Bangladeshis form the third biggest expatriate group in the country, after Pakistanis and Indians, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Most of the population in the country of some 10 million people are foreign residents.

Many Bangladeshis in the UAE work in low-paid blue-collar jobs and send remittances home to help support their families.

The UAE has little tolerance for dissent as it prohibits criticism of rulers or speech deemed to create or encourage social unrest. Freedom of expression is restricted.

The country’s penal code also criminalises offending foreign states or jeopardising ties with them.

ALJAZEERA