Human Interest

Kuwait names new emir after Sheikh Nawaf dies at 86

Cairo, Dec 16 (EFE).- Kuwait named its new emir on Saturday after 86-year-old ruler Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah died following a month-long hospitalization for an unspecified illness.

Crown Prince Mishaal al-Ahmad, 83, has become the 17th emir of the tiny Gulf country.

“With great sadness and sorrow, we — the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world — mourn the late His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who passed away to his Lord today,” Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah al-Sabah, the minister of his emiri court, said in a statement aired on state TV.

Immediately afterward, the council designated the crown prince, Sheikh Mishaal al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, as the new emir.

The next step will be the oath of the new emir before parliament, and, according to Kuwaiti law, Mishaal has a period of one year to choose his crown prince.

Mishaal, considered the de facto leader in the oil-rich country after the emir delegated some of his constitutional powers to him in 2021, spent most of his career in security and intelligence.

At 83, he was the oldest crown prince in the world until he became the emir.

The sheik, who has taken the reins of Kuwaiti politics after suffering a major crisis, has two wives and 12 children.

The deceased emir will be buried on Sunday in the capital, Kuwait City, in an intimate funeral limited only to his family, official sources said.

The Council of Ministers announced official mourning in the country for 40 days and the closure of official departments for three days.

The royal family did not specify what caused his death.

He was admitted to a medical center at the end of last month for “an urgent health problem.”

The family has repeatedly said his health was “stable” without elaborating.

Nawaf assumed power as emir in September 2020.

During his short term in office, the emir made several visits to Western countries for medical reasons, mainly to Italy, amid rumors about his deteriorating condition and his inability to continue leading the oil-rich country.

His predecessor, Sheikh Sabah, was 91 when he died during his more than 14-year reign.

His health was treated with opacity, as the royal court never revealed the nature of his condition and did not reveal what caused his death. EFE

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