DOHA: The emir of gas-rich Qatar, a major actor on the world diplomatic stage, abdicated in favour of his 33-year-old son Sheikh Tamim on Tuesday, in a first for the Arab world.Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, 61, hands over a small but economically strong Gulf state that has punched above its weight in recent years and has become a key role player in Arab Spring uprisings.
“I announce handing the rule over to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani,” the emir said in a televised speech.
The decision marks the “beginning of a new era in which a young leadership will hold the banner,” he added.
After the speech, Al-Jazeera television aired footage of citizens arriving at the palace in Doha to swear allegiance to Tamim, who stood next to his father to welcome the visitors.
Sheikh Hamad, who used Qatar's immense gas wealth to drive its modernisation, came to power in a coup in which he overthrew his own father Sheikh Khalifa in June 1995.
His decision to abdicate sees Tamim propelled into the youngest sovereign of any of the Gulf Arab monarchies. The occasion was marked by the declaration of Tuesday as a public holiday.
Tamim, born in 1980, is the second son of the emir and his second wife Sheikha Mozah and has been groomed for years to take the helm of the super-rich Western ally.
The British-educated Tamim is deputy commander of the armed forces and head of the National Olympic Committee. He also chairs the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee in charge of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Diplomats said that over the past three years the emir has increasingly transferred military and security responsibilities to Tamim, who like his father went to the British military academy Sandhurst.
“Tamim already has responsibilities for sensitive foreign portfolios among other matters,” said Partrick.
“For Qatari foreign policy, none of this seems likely to produce major change. The young heir apparent Tamim is unlikely to effect major changes without consulting his father.”Qatar took part in the armed intervention in Libya and actively supports rebels trying to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The Gulf state also developed a powerful media empire through Al-Jazeera, the first pan-Arab satellite channel which also broadcasts in English, and is preparing the launch of Al-Jazeera America.
And Qatar put itself on the world sporting map with a successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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