The Emir of gas-rich Qatar, a major actor on the world diplomatic stage and key backer of Arab Spring uprisings, on Tuesday stepped down in favour of his 33-year-old son Sheikh Tamim.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani’s abdication after 18 years on the throne marks a first in the Arab world although analysts do not expect significant changes in the way the super-rich Gulf state is ruled.
“I address you today to announce that I am handing the rule over to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani,” the 61-year-old emir told Qataris in a televised speech.
The decision marks the beginning of “a new era in which a young leadership will hold the banner that would place the hopes of the coming generation upon its priorities,” he added.
Sheikh Hamad suffers from kidney problems but officials insist his motivation for stepping down was not health-related but rather a determination to bring a younger leadership to the fore. The Emir appeared to be in good health while delivering his spee-ch on Tuesday and also during his weekend meetings with US secretary of state John Kerry and French Preside-nt Hollande.