UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies at 73

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs said on Friday that President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan died in the United Arab Emirates. He was also ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate.

The ministry of presidential affairs mourns the death of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who died on Friday, but hasn't said anything about the death of the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world.

Under the constitution, the vice-president and prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, would act as a president until the federal council, which assembles the rulers of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to elect a new president.

Khalifa, born in 1948, had rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2014 and his half-brother Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MbZ, has been the de facto ruler of the U.S. allied UAE, an OPEC oil producer.

The UAE lost its righteous son and leader of the Empowerment phase and guardian of its blessed journey, MbZ said on Twitter, praising Khalifa's wisdom and generosity.

The UAE would observe a 40 day mourning period with flags flown at half-mast as of Friday and suspend work at all public and private sector entities for three days, the ministry said.

There were calls for condolences from Arab leaders, including Bahrain's king, Egypt's president and Iraq's prime minister.

In the richest emirate of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa came to power in 2004 and became the head of state. Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed is expected to be replaced as the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi, which holds the majority of the Gulf state's oil wealth, has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Khalifa's father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, in 1971.