Qatar Emir Abdicates in Favor of Son

Local Editor

Qatar Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani abdicated in favor of his 33-year-old son, Tamim, on Tuesday.

"I announce handing the rule over to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani," the 61-year-old emir said in a televised speech, adding the decision opened the way for a "young leadership."
"I am sure you will support him as you have done to me," he said.

"A new generation should now come to power for having innovative ideas," he said.
Hamad also thanked all his advisers and the armed forces, and praised "the loyalty of the people."
Hamad came to power in a coup in which he overthrew his own father Sheikh Khalifa in June 1995.

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.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team