The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from United Arab Emirates

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This page contains a list of the greatest Emirati Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 13 of which were born in United Arab Emirates. This makes United Arab Emirates the birth place of the 126th most number of Politicians behind Rwanda, and Burundi.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Emirati Politicians of all time. This list of famous Emirati Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Emirati Politicians.

Photo of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

1. Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1948 - 2022)

With an HPI of 70.00, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 76 different languages on wikipedia.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic:  خليفة بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان‎; 7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022) was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, serving from November 2004 until his death in May 2022. Khalifa was the eldest son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates. As crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa carried out some aspects of the presidency in a de facto capacity from the late 1990s when his father experienced health problems. He succeeded his father as the ruler of Abu Dhabi on 2 November 2004, and the Federal Supreme Council elected him as president of the UAE the following day. As ruler of Abu Dhabi, he attracted cultural and academic centres to Abu Dhabi, helping establish the Louvre Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. He also established Etihad Airways. During Khalifa's presidency, the United Arab Emirates became a regional economic powerhouse and its non-oil economy grew. Khalifa was viewed as a pro-Western modernizer whose low-key approach helped steer the country through a tense era in regional politics and forged closer ties with the United States and Israel. As president during the financial crisis of 2007–2008, he directed the payment of billions of dollars in emergency bailout funds into Dubai. On 4 January 2010, the world's tallest man-made structure, originally known as Burj Dubai, was renamed the Burj Khalifa in his honor. In January 2014, Khalifa had a stroke and was in stable condition after surgery. He then assumed a lower profile in state affairs but retained ceremonial presidential powers. His half-brother Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan carried out public affairs of the state and day-to-day decision-making of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. In 2018, Forbes named Khalifa in its list of the world's most powerful people. Following his death on 13 May 2022, Khalifa was succeeded by his brother Mohamed.

Photo of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

2. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918 - 2004)

With an HPI of 68.31, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the 2nd most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان, romanized: Zāyid bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he succeeded Sheikh Shakhbut as the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and then as the first president of the United Arab Emirates while he retained his position as Abu Dhabi's ruler from 1971 until his death in 2004. He is revered in the United Arab Emirates as the Waalid al-Ummah ("Father of the Nation"), credited for being the principal driving force behind uniting the seven Trucial States to found the Union of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed replaced his older brother Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan as the ruler of Abu Dhabi on 6 August 1966 after Shakhbut was deposed through a bloodless coup by members of the ruling family with British support.

Photo of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

3. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 66.50, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the 3rd most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 58 different languages.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic: محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, romanized: Muḥammad bin Rāšid Āl Maktūm; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the vice president and prime minister of the UAE. Mohammed succeeded his brother Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as UAE vice president, UAE prime minister, and ruler of Dubai following the latter's death in 2006. A billionaire, Mohammed generates most of his income from real estate and is described as "one of the world's most prominent real estate developers". There is a blurred line between the assets of the government of Dubai and those of the ruling Al Maktoum family. Land which is owned by him is managed as an asset of the state. He oversaw the growth of Dubai into a global city, as well as the launch of a number of government-owned enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World, and the Jumeirah Group. Some of these are held by Dubai Holding. Mohammed has overseen the development of certain projects in Dubai, such as the Palm Islands and the Burj Al Arab hotel, as well as Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world as of 2024. Mohammed is the absolute ruler of Dubai and the prime minister of the UAE, a position appointed by the president. The government is autocratic, as there are no democratic institutions, and internal dissent is prohibited. It is characterized by scholars as authoritarian. On 5 March 2020, a British court ruled that on the balance of probabilities, Mohammed had abducted two of his daughters, Shamsa and Latifa, and had threatened his former wife, the Jordanian princess Haya bint Hussein. Allegedly, Shamsa and Latifa were forcibly medicated while held in Dubai under Mohammed's orders since 2000 and 2018, respectively. On 16 February 2021, BBC's Panorama broadcast a documentary featuring Latifa's video messages that she made secretly under enforced detention in Dubai on her father's orders. Mohammed is an equestrian and is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin stable and the owner of Darley, a thoroughbred breeding operation, operational in six countries. In 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship.

Photo of Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum

4. Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (1943 - 2006)

With an HPI of 61.28, Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the 4th most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic: مكتوم بن راشد آل مكتوم, romanized: Maktūm bin Rāshid Āl Maktūm; 15 August 1943 – 4 January 2006) was an Emirati royal and politician who served as the second vice president, first and third prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of Dubai. He was prime minister from 1971 to 1979 and from 1990 to 2006. He served as the ruler of Dubai from 1990 to 2006. He was succeeded after his death by his brother Sheikh Mohammed as Ruler of Dubai.

Photo of Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

5. Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 60.49, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the 5th most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: محمد بن زايد آل نهيان, romanized: Muḥammad bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān; born 11 March 1961), popularly known by his initials as MBZ or MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who currently serves as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi. MBZ completed his education in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April 1979. He later joined the UAE Military and held various posts before becoming a pilot in the UAE Air Force; he was promoted to general in 2005. Sheikh Mohamed is the third son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was the first president of the UAE and the 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi. MBZ became the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in November 2004, following the death of his father, when his brother, Sheikh Khalifa became the second president of the UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi. In 2014, Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke and MBZ became the de facto president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi. MBZ officially became president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, after being chosen by the UAE Supreme Council, following the death of his brother on 13 May 2022. On 29 March 2023, MBZ appointed his son Sheikh Khalid as crown prince of Abu Dhabi and his future successor. Academics have characterized the UAE under MBZ as an authoritarian capitalist country. Since Mohamed became the de facto president, he introduced policies which aimed at economic liberalization. This included the introduction of VAT in 2018, corporate taxes and bankruptcy laws; the elimination of gas subsidies, as well as the removal of curbs of foreign ownership of businesses and the decriminalization of bounced cheques. MBZ also introduced liberal social policies under his watch, including the de jure removal of corporal punishment and Sharia law outside of blood money claims and personal status matters of Muslims; the decriminalization of co-habitation, extra-marital relationships and alcohol consumption by Muslims; a legal process of children born outside of wedlock; and civil courts for personal status matters of non-Muslims residents. MBZ is known to be a fierce opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. Since becoming de facto president, the UAE participated in the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Syrian civil war and was officially part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen until the MBZ disagreed with the Saudi Arabia's approach in the war for its support of Al-Islah, a party which is known to have close connections with the Muslim Brotherhood but has maintained his support of the Southern Transitional Council. MBZ fell out with the Obama administration on the Iran nuclear deal and supported the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. The UAE was a leading party in the Qatar diplomatic crisis, in which the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan severed diplomatic relations with Qatar based on claims that Qatar supports the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoot organizations. MBZ maintained a close relationship with former US President Donald Trump, with reports suggesting that MBZ was pushing Trump to take a more tough stance on Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. In September 2020, the UAE, alongside Bahrain, and later Morocco and Sudan, signed the Abraham Accords, an agreement to normalize diplomatic relationship with the State of Israel, a deal which was brokered by Trump. The UAE has more recently been involved in an economic rivalry with Saudi Arabia, and opposed Saudi efforts for OPEC+ production cuts. In 2019, The New York Times named him as the most powerful Arab ruler, and was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2019 by Time magazine. In 2023, the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre ranked MBZ as the eighth-most influential Muslim.

Photo of Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum

6. Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (1912 - 1990)

With an HPI of 59.49, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum is the 6th most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (Arabic: رَاشِد بن سَعِيْد آل مَكتُوم, romanized: Râşid bin Saîd Âl Mektûm; 11 June 1912 – 7 October 1990) was an Emirati royal, politician and a founder of the United Arab Emirates. Al Maktoum was the first vice president and second prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and was the ruler of Dubai. He ruled Dubai for 32 years from 1958 until his death in 1990. He was the vice president from the founding of the UAE until his death. Al Maktoum was the first vice president to serve as prime minister concurrently, when he became prime minister on 30 April 1979. After him the office of prime minister was de facto tied to the office of vice president (but not vice versa).

Photo of Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi

7. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi (b. 1939)

With an HPI of 56.20, Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi is the 7th most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi (Arabic: سلطان بن محمد القاسمي, romanized: Sulṭān bin Muḥammad al-Qāsimī; born 2 July 1939) is the ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and a member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates. He has ruled Sharjah continuously since January 1972, apart from a seven-day period in June 1987, during an attempted coup led by his elder brother Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi.

Photo of Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III

8. Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III (b. 1931)

With an HPI of 52.23, Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III is the 8th most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III (Arabic: حميد بن راشد النعيمي, romanized: Ḥumayd bin Rāshid al-Nuʿaymī; born 1931) is an Emirati royal, politician, who serves as the ruler of the Emirate of Ajman and a member of the Federal Supreme Council. He is the 10th ruler of Ajman. Humaid bin Rashid succeeded his late father Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi III on 6 September 1981. He previously served as deputy ruler since 1960. In 2019 he ranked 11th on the list of the longest-reigning rulers in the world (if Elizabeth II is counted in many realms), which makes him sixth today.

Photo of Khaldoon Al Mubarak

9. Khaldoon Al Mubarak (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 48.39, Khaldoon Al Mubarak is the 9th most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak (Arabic: خلدون المبارك; born 1975) is an Emirati Government official and business leader. Al Mubarak holds senior positions within the Government of Abu Dhabi, including as a member of the Executive Council since 2006, a member of the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs, and as the founding chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority. He fulfills responsibilities for the UAE Federal government and has served as Presidential Special Envoy to the People's Republic of China since 2018. Al Mubarak is chief executive officer and managing director of Mubadala Investment Company. He is chairman of the football clubs Manchester City, Melbourne City and Mumbai City. Al Mubarak is on the board of the UAE business ADNOC and serves as the Chairman of the Boards of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Emirates Global Aluminium.

Photo of Ali Bujsaim

10. Ali Bujsaim (b. 1959)

With an HPI of 46.65, Ali Bujsaim is the 10th most famous Emirati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Ali Mohamed Bujsaim (Arabic: علي بوجسيم, born September 9, 1959, in Dubai) is a retired association football referee from the United Arab Emirates, who is best known for supervising matches at three FIFA World Cups: 1994 (two matches), 1998 (three matches) and 2002 (two matches). In 2002, he was a referee in the Argentina-Sweden match, where he made a decision to give a red card to Claudio Caniggia, when the latter cursed at him, making Caniggia the first player in world cup history to be expelled while still at the bench.

People

Pantheon has 14 people classified as Emirati politicians born between 1912 and 1987. Of these 14, 10 (71.43%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Emirati politicians include Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi. The most famous deceased Emirati politicians include Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. As of April 2024, 1 new Emirati politicians have been added to Pantheon including Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi III.

Living Emirati Politicians

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Deceased Emirati Politicians

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Newly Added Emirati Politicians (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Politicians were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Politicians since 1700.