Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, died on Friday at the age of 73. The Ministry of Presidential Affairs confirmed Khalifa’s death, but provided no other information. He was also the ruler of the UAE’s richest emirate, Abu Dhabi.
Khalifa, who was born in 1948, had not been seen in public since 2014, when he had a stroke. Funeral prayers will be held on Friday, according to the state news agency WAM. His half-brother, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, often known as MBZ, is set to become the future ruler of the UAE’s oil-rich capital.
According to the constitution, vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, would serve as president until the federal supreme council, comprised of the rulers of the seven emirates, met within 30 days to pick a new president.