Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan elected as UAE president
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Image Credit: Supplied

Abu Dhabi: Members of ruling families in the UAE and top officials have congratulated His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for being unanimously elected by the Federal Supreme Council as the third President of the UAE on Saturday.

President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was elected after the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan

On Saturday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said: ‘’Nations are built and flourished by the hands of men. My brother, my leader and my master, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of UAE, my guardian, we pledge allegiance to you and pledge to listen and obey completely. Under your leadership, we embark on a new historical path full of achievements and hopes.”

Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination, said Sheikh Mohamed is the ideal successor to an exemplary leader, and will help bring about further development, pride and glory in the UAE.

He added: “We pledge allegiance to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the President of the UAE, and vow to follow his directives. We pray to Allah Almighty to support him in navigating such a great responsibility, and leading our journey of giving and development.”

'Underlined by a vision'

Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “The UAE has established its leading position at the regional and global levels, and its national achievements have been underlined by the vision of the Founding Leader, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the journey of empowerment and development continued under the patronage of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. We pledge allegiance to His Highness [Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed] and wish him great success in leading our country towards a bright future.”

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Chairman, Dubai Airports; Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said on his Twitter account: “Your leadership has been a source of strength and pride, and today we extend our highest congratulations to you on being elected President of our nation. With extraordinary foundations in place, you will lead the march to achieve our nation’s ambitions for the next fifty years.”

Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Al Owais

Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, said: “From wisdom to determination, giving and devotion, Sheikh Mohamed’s the unique qualities that God bestowed on him, along with what he inherited from the Founding Father the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, will enable him to confidently and exceptionally lead the UAE towards the next 50 years to achieve greater milestones and breakthroughs that will place it among the top countries worldwide.”

Dr Abdul Rahman Al Awar

Dr Abdul Rahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said in a statement: "I extend my warmest congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as the president of the UAE, and we pledge allegiance and obedience to him. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed is an exceptional and wise leader committed to serving our nation, following in the footsteps of the founding fathers.”

He added: "We all stand behind His Highness to continue the UAE’s march of development and progress and achieve growth and prosperity, while establishing our country’s leading position at regional and global levels."

Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid

Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, said the unanimous election of Sheikh Mohamed “is the strong member of the federation who spent many years serving his nation and taking responsibility for his nation. His Highness continues to be a man of loyalty to authentic values, well-established principles, and continuous achievements that have elevated the UAE’s position at both regional and global levels, and strengthened the reputation of the nation and the status of the UAE people in the midst of nations”.

Maqsoud Kruse

Maqsoud Kruse, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), said: "We congratulate the UAE and its people for the decision Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates made while unanimously electing His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the UAE, a choice that in no uncertain way evidences the great trust placed by the nation in him. We pray to Allah Almighty to bring him success, and to aid him in his drive to advance the UAE's efforts to ensure protection of human rights and achieve more progress and prosperity for the nation.”

'Mega achievements'

Mattar Al Tayer, Commissioner General for Infrastructure, Urban Planning and Well-Being, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, said: “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is an exceptional leader whose name is associated with mega achievements that have driven peace and stability in the region, and who has promoted the culture of tolerance in the world, be it in developing the armed forces, forging strategic partnerships for joint defence, or protecting the interests of the state and the region.”

Mattar Al Tayer

He added: “The education and youth empowerment sector in the country has witnessed qualitative leaps, as evidenced by the development of the education system based on providing the nation with future skills, which enabled young people to occupy leading positions and support the development process, and to achieve many historical and strategic achievements, especially in the fields of sustainability and energy. The most important of which is the UAE’s peaceful nuclear programme.”

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Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, said: “[President Sheikh Mohamed] is an outstanding global leader who is respected and appreciated by world leaders. He occupies a prominent place in the hearts of the people of the UAE and the world. We ask Almighty Allah to grant [President Sheikh Mohamed] all success and to direct his steps and help him in his endeavour to continue to lead the UAE to greater success, progress and prosperity. We pledge our allegiance to the UAE and our wise leadership, guided by their insightful vision and wise directives. We will do our best to serve our dear country, protect its gains and ensure further achievements, so that the UAE becomes the world’s leading nation by its Centennial in 2071.”

Salem Humaid AlMarri

Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director-General, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said: "Building on the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of our nation; continued by [the late] Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE will continue its march towards progress and take its place as a leader among the world’s community of nations under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. We look forward with great optimism and hope to a bright future for the UAE and pledge our unwavering loyalty to his leadership and to our homeland."

Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director-General, Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said: "Building on the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of our nation; continued by [the late] Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE will continue its march towards progress and take its place as a leader among the world’s community of nations under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. We look forward with great optimism and hope to a bright future for the UAE and pledge our unwavering loyalty to his leadership and to our homeland."

Faryal Tawakul

Faryal Tawakul, Acting CEO of Emirates Transport, said: “[President Sheikh Mohamed], in his pioneering national roles throughout his career was full of achievements and success, and is indeed the best successor to the best predecessor, and just as the UAE moved from establishment during the era of Zayed to empowerment during the era of Khalifa. We are very confident that we are continuing the covenant with the founder and his brothers, Their Highnesses, rulers of the Emirates, are in an important new stage in the history of the state, whose objective is greater strength for our union, prosperity and progress for our people, and the strengthening of the state’s global leadership positions in all fields.”

-with inputs from WAM