After roughly a decade of de facto rule, Mohammed became the ruler of Dubai on 4 January 2006, upon the death of his brother Maktoum.[40] The following day, the Federal National Council selected him as the new vice president of the UAE. On 11 February, the Council approved President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan's nomination of Sheikh Mohammed for Prime Minister.[41][better source needed]
Mohammed is the absolute monarch of Dubai.[42] The government is described as autocratic, as there are no democratic institutions, and internal dissent is prohibited.[13][14][15][16] Mohammed is Prime Minister of the UAE, which scholars characterize as authoritarian.[17][18] According to human rights organizations, there are systematic human rights violations, including the torture and forced disappearance of government critics.[43] There is a blurred line between the assets of the state of Dubai and those of the Al Maktoum ruling family.[5]
Mohammed issued a law in 2006 to form the Dubai Establishment for Women Development, renamed by law in 2009 as the Dubai Women's Establishment.[44][45] He also formed the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015.[46][47]
On 19 October 2020, Mohammed led the UAE Council of Ministers meeting that ratified a peace agreement with Israel, normalizing diplomatic relationships between the countries.[48] The council, again headed by Sheikh Mohammed, approved the decision to found an Emirati embassy in Tel Aviv in January, and Mohammed swore in the first Emirati ambassador to Israel, Mahmoud Al Khajah, a month later.[49]