By Irfan Ahmed Nazir
In his capacity as the ruler of Abu Dhabi, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan appointed his eldest son Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on 29 March 2023. The appointment comes months after the speculations on who will be heir to the oil-rich emirate after Sheikh Mohamed became the president of the UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi following the passing away of his predecessor and half-brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in May 2022.
However, in a surprising move, Sheikh Mohamed also appointed his brother Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan as the vice president of the UAE, alongside the current vice president, prime minister and the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Since the UAE’s inception in 1971, the presidency and vice presidency of the country have been held by the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively — the appointment of Sheikh Mansour as the UAE Vice President breaks this long-standing power equation.
Nonetheless, Sheikh Mansour’s appointment would please Dubai. Sheikh Mansour is married to one of the daughters of Dubai’s ruler, symbolic of the union between the Abu Dhabi and Dubai royals. Sheikh Mansour also has experience working with Sheikh Mohammed as the deputy prime minister since 2009 and plays crucial roles in key federal authorities and establishments. In January 2023, Sheikh Mohammed honoured Sheikh Mansour with the ceremonial Mohammed bin Rashid’s scarf recognising his contributions to strengthening the UAE federation. Sheikh Mohammed tweeted: “Mansour is one of [Sheikh] Zayed’s great extensions and one of the great pillars of the nation.”
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed also appointed his two other brothers, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed and Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed, as the deputy rulers of Abu Dhabi. The appointments ended the speculations on whether Sheikh Mohamed would pick his eldest son or any of hisbrothersas his heir. In the last two decades, there were no questions on the line of succession to the Abu Dhabi throne after the UAE’s founding president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, appointed Sheikh Mohamed as the deputy crown prince of Abu Dhabi in 2003. When Sheikh Zayed passed away in 2004, Sheikh Khalifa became the president of the UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Mohamed became the crown prince.
Sheikh Mohamed took over the country’s affairs as the de-facto ruler of the UAE after Sheikh Khalifa suffered a massive stroke in 2014. Sheikh Mohamed’s rise to power also witnessed the consolidation of power by Bani Fatima, the six sons of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak al-Kitbi, Sheikh Zayed’s most prominent wife. Sheikh Mohamed, born in 1961, is the eldest. The other sons, Sheikh Hamdan (b. 1963), Sheikh Hazza (b. 1965), Sheikh Tahnoun (b. 1968), Sheikh Mansour (b. 1970) and Sheikh Abdullah (b. 1972), hold influential positions at the emirate and the federal levels.
After assuming the presidency of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed had to choose between his son Sheikh Khaled, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, and his brothers, especially Sheikh Tahnoun, national security advisor of the UAE, and Sheikh Mansour, deputy prime minister of the UAE and minister of presidential affairs, as the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Mohamed chose in favour of his son while accommodating his brothers in prominent roles as the country prepares to celebrate the first anniversary of his assumption as the UAE president. Earlier this month, Sheikh Tahnoun was named the chairman of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. Sheikh Mansour was named the chairman of Mubadala, another major sovereign wealth fund.
Sheikh Mohamed’s choice of his son as the crown prince and appointment of his brothers to the top positions aims at long-term stability and smooth succession.The appointments also came during the holy month of Ramadan, symbolising piety, peace and unity. Sheikh Khaled, born in 1982, will have sufficient time to prepare for his future role under his father’s guidance. Sheikh Mohamed has also reconstituted Abu Dhabi Executive Council with Sheikh Khaled as the chairman.The choice of Sheikh Khaled also aligns with the recent trend across most Gulf Arab monarchies to move towards direct lineage – father-son instead of brother-brother – for succession, like in Saudi Arabia.
The author is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for West Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He tweets at @irfannazir_in
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