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 today, 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 today as a public holiday.
"Such a generational shift will make waves in the region, even though the Qataris informed other countries of their decision," said Doha-based analyst Salman Shaikh.
"This decision is consistent with Qatar's policy," he told AFP. "They have been preparing for change for some time, they want to move to the younger generation."
A diplomat said that by freely stepping down the emir would "score a first in the Arab world," where autocratic rulers held power uncontested for decades until the Arab Spring revolutions that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
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.
