Abu Dhabi ruler shows stability by appointing eldest son as crown prince

Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has a busy schedule in the weeks leading up to his appointment as Abu Dhabi’s new crown prince.

Among other duties, he hosted the president of Microsoft and the CEO of IBM, inaugurated the new port area, participated in a government leaders retreat, and visited the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense’s Joint Operations Command.

All of this is evidence of the growing role Sheikh Khalid has played in recent years, a role that has fueled talk that his father, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Khalid, President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Le Nahyan is grooming his eldest son to be the heir apparent.

But the intrigue surrounding opaque Gulf palace politics, before his appointment was announced on Wednesday, was rife with speculation over whether Sheikh Khalid, 43, would become crown prince, or whether Sheikh Mohammed, known as MBZ, would choose him over him. Brother, one of those with experience, notably Sheikh Tahnoon, the UAE’s powerful national security adviser.

Analysts say MBZ, who succeeded his late brother Sheikh Khalifa last year, hopes the appointment will end discussions of a potential power struggle within his ruling family and is expected to lead the oil-rich capital and federation of seven emirates. stability and continuity.

“[The UAE] is a rising power in the Middle East, and if there is any doubt about who will be held accountable for the next 50 years, this settles that issue,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science in the United Arab Emirates. Khaled was given increasing responsibilities. “

Sheikh Khalid’s promotion spanned key areas such as the economy, security and energy. A graduate of Georgetown University, he is deputy national security adviser and chairman of the executive committee of national oil company Adnoc. He also sits on the powerful Supreme Council of Financial and Economic Affairs and was appointed this month to the board of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), a $790 billion sovereign wealth fund.

He now succeeds his father as chairman of the Abu Dhabi Administrative Council, effectively the emirate’s cabinet, of which he has been a member for many years.

“He was viewed as a serious and perceptive person,” said Taufi Rahim, a senior fellow at the New America think tank. “The question is how soon he will exert more influence in the main institutions in Abu Dhabi.”

MBZ, often seen as chief executive driving Abu Dhabi’s growth, became Sheikh Khalifa’s chairman during his 18-year tenure as crown prince.

After Sheikh Khalifa’s stroke in 2014, MBZ became the de facto leader, overseeing a more assertive foreign policy that led to interventions in conflicts in Yemen and Libya, as well as cracking down on dissent and using Abu Dhabi’s oil wealth to boost its status Overseas profile.

The 62-year-old leader is expected to rule for years to come. But the appointment of the crown prince, along with other changes in senior positions, reflects some of the decentralization of his focus on the presidency, according to people familiar with the matter.

“One thing you can tell from some of the recent announcements — it’s basically the end of one transition and the beginning of another,” said a person close to Abu Dhabi’s leadership.

Among those raised, key were some of MBZ’s full brothers, collectively known as the “Bani Fatima Six”, in reference to their mother.

For the first time since Wednesday’s MBZ, Abu Dhabi has had two deputy rulers appoint Sheikh Tanu and another full brother, Sheikh Haza, to newly created positions. Some thought they would be ceremonial posts, others said it was a sign of MBZ’s decentralized leadership responsibilities.

In a surprise move, MBZ also appointed another brother, Sheikh Mansour, who was the deputy prime minister of the UAE and owns Manchester City football club, as the vice president of the Gulf state.

This means he will be working alongside his father-in-law, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, who is also an Emirati Vice President and Prime Minister.

Analysts said the appointment of the second vice president was a further consolidation of Abu Dhabi’s dominance in the federation. But it could also ease some of the federal burden on Dubai’s septuagenarian leader.

Other notable changes this month include Sheikh Tahnoon taking over as chairman of Adia, further expanding his formidable portfolio. He has already chaired another state investment fund, ADQ, First Abu Dhabi Bank, the country’s largest bank, and International Holdings, a conglomerate that has grown from obscurity to a market capitalization of about $236 billion.

Sheikh Mansour also replaced MBZ as chairman of Mubadala, another Abu Dhabi investment vehicle that manages about $284 billion in assets.

Some see the series of changes as part of the balancing role MBZ must play in the ruling family.

“He’s giving his son the power to be crown prince with the added responsibility of a brother who might see himself as part of the succession plan,” said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. strike a balance.”

Others believe that, as the UAE’s ambitions grow, MBZ is spreading responsibility among trusted lieutenants. David Roberts, a Gulf expert at King’s College London, called the massive changes “a good job of housekeeping”.

“The long history [succession in Gulf monarchies] It’s been very tricky, so there’s always going to be a clear process of who goes where,” Roberts said.

“The UAE is developing in many ways, both economically and politically, and for a country that has grown exponentially in recent years, it seems logical to develop its governance structure.”