Lagatar24 Desk
Dubai, May 13: Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, died on Friday at the age of 73, according to the state news agency WAM. He was also the ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced that there will be 40 days of official mourning with flags at half mast and three days closure of ministries and official entities at the federal and local levels and the private sector.
According to the constitution, vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, would serve as president until the federal council of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to pick a new president.
Khalifa, who was born in 1948, became the ruler of the richest emirate in the world, Abu Dhabi, in 2004. His half-brother Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan is anticipated to succeed him as ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Notably, Mohammed bin Zayed has been the de facto ruler of the US-allied UAE, especially since Khalifa suffered a stroke in 2014 he has rarely been seen in public.
