Sheikh Mohammed, who became president and Abu Dhabi ruler last year after running the U.S.-allied OPEC oil producer for years, named his brother Sheikh Mansour as UAE vice president, alongside Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This appeared to further centralise power in Abu Dhabi, which is the political capital by virtue of its immense oil wealth, of the UAE federation of seven emirates. Abu Dhabi has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Sheikh Mohammed's father in 1971. Sheikh Mohammed, known as MbZ, had been grooming his son in positions of authority in security - including intelligence - economy and governance, analysts say. Earlier this month, Sheikh Tahnoun was named chair of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, among the world's largest sovereign wealth funds.

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