United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has died, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs said on Friday. He was also ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate.
“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs mourns to the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world the death of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who passed away on Friday,” the ministry said in a statement on state media without giving further details.
Under the constitution, vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, would act as president until the federal council which groups the rulers of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to elect a new president.
Khalifa, born in 1948, had rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2014 and his half-brother Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MbZ, has been the de facto ruler of the US-allied UAE, an Opec oil producer.
The UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced a 40-day mourning period across the country starting Friday, May 13, over the demise of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to a WAM statement, flags will be flown at half-mast during the mourning period. Meanwhile, all federal and local government departments, ministries, and private firms will suspend operations for three days, starting Friday, May 13.
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source: dawn.com
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