United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has died, kingdom news agency WAM mentioned on Friday. He used to be also ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate.
Under the constitution, vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, will act as president till the federal council which agencies the rulers of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to opt for a new president.
Khalifa, who was born in 1948, got here to strength in 2004 in the richest emirate Abu Dhabi and became the head of state. He is expected to be succeeded as ruler of Abu Dhabi via his half-brother Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
Mohammed bin Zayed has been the de facto ruler of the U.S.-allied UAE, specifically after Khalifa suffered a stroke in 2014, following which he has hardly ever been seen in public.