In a statement today, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs said how Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan had immediately undergone a surgical operation and that “his health is now stable.”
Yesterday, Dubai’s DFM General Index fell 2.2%, the most since November 11 last year, and the Abu Dhabi Securities Market General Index dropped 1.8%. While analysts were saying the falls reflected global stockmarket weaknees, some said the Sheikh's stroke may have had a limited downside effect on performance.
The National newspaper said in its editorial column earlier today that “everyone who lives here appreciates the atmosphere of openness and tolerance that characterises Sheikh Khalifa's rule and that of his father, Sheikh Zayed, before him”.
Sheikh Khalifa, who was born in 1948, became Emir of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE in 2004 after his father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan died. He is also chairman of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
According to other media reports, Sheikh Khalifa has been in poor health for some time and key day-to-day decision making is now made by his half-brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
