The UAE Supreme Council has re-elected His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the UAE for a fourth five-year term. The Council expressed its deep confidence in the wise leadership of the President, the Council statement said, praying that he would continue to lead the UAE to strengthen the pillars of the Union and its prosperity and fulfil the aspirations of its honourable people, WAM reported.
Shaikh Khalifa was first elected President on November 3, 2004 following the death of his father Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. “President Khalifa accompanied the builder of the UAE renaissance, the late Shaikh Zayed, in the founding stage in the 70s and 80s of the last century before taking over the leadership of the country after the death of the Founding Father.”
“[He] led the country towards the achievement stage that contributed to empowering the Emirati citizens, and the prosperity of the UAE, and its prominence locally and globally,” the Council statement added.
Sheikh Khalifa Profile
Sheikh Khalifa was born in Al Muwaiji Fort, Al Ain, in 1948. Though Al Muwaiji village was then a small place compared to the other villages in the cluster of oases dominated by Al Ain and Al Buraimi, it was, nevertheless, a centre of influence for the Al Bu Falah subsection of the Bani Yas tribal confederation and the Al Nahyan ruling family in the numerous oases of the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi as well as in the interior of eastern Arabia.
Sheikh Khalifa spent his early childhood years in this fort, which still stands opposite the Court (diwan) of the Ruler’s Representative on the outskirts of Al Ain, and in which his late father had settled in his youth in 1946 after being assigned by his brother, Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to be the Ruler’s Representative in the Eastern Region.
The oases of Al Ain and Al Buraimi, where Sheikh Khalifa spent his early years, were places of strategic and vital economic significance for Abu Dhabi as main agricultural producers and major strategic centres for the security of the region, positioned at the crossroads that linked the coast to the interior of eastern Arabia.
The very difficult task of Sheikh Zayed at that time was to take leadership of the discordant tribes there and in the surrounding region, to ensure internal stability and security, to consolidate state authority, and to bring prosperity to the tribes despite the paucity of resources.
After Sheikh Zayed became Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, he appointed Sheikh Khalifa as Ruler’s Representative in the Eastern Region, a delegation of authority that was seen as a mark of the high confidence he had in his son, who started his long career in public service with skill.
On February 1, 1969, Sheikh Khalifa was named Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. He was named a day later to head the defence department of the emirate, coinciding with the formation of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force, which was later to form the nucleus of the UAE Armed Forces. In May 1976, he was named Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Sheikh Khalifa’s character and ideals are based on his father, from whom he learnt and gained experience in leadership. Therefore he was well able to take on his new responsibilities when became the ruler of the Abu Dhabi following Shaikh Zayed’s death on November 2, 2004, and the next day was elected UAE President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces by the Supreme Council members.
Throughout his long years in government, Sheikh Khalifa has exhibited the same unique characteristics inspired by his father, based on a modest and open management style. In the region, Sheikh Khalifa is a strong supporter of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, believing that the success and achievements of this body reflect the depth of understanding reached amongst its leaders.
A keen supporter of the regional policy of Sheikh Zayed, in particular in terms of promoting solidarity between the Arab states, Sheikh Khalifa is firmly committed to support of the Palestinian people and also of moves designed to promote and restore stability in Iraq.
His key objective as UAE President, Sheikh Khalifa said, is to continue on the path set down by his father. In particular, he said, he would continue with the ‘open door’ policy and with the practice of holding regular consultations with the country’s citizens, so that he may become aware of, and follow up on, their needs and concerns.
