The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, died on Saturday December 16 at the age of 86, the emirate’s court announced, after a three-year mandate marked by repeated political conflicts at the head of this oil-rich Arab-Persian Gulf country.
“With great sadness, we mourn the death of Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait,” said a statement broadcast on Kuwaiti state television. State television had previously interrupted its programs and broadcast verses from the Koran.
In November, the emir was admitted to hospital “due to an urgent health problem,” according to the official KUNA news agency, which did not provide details of his illness. He was later listed in stable condition. Given his age, his health was often a concern during his tenure.
An 83-year-old crown prince
Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was named crown prince in 2006 by his half-brother, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and took over as emir upon his death in age 91, as of September 2020.
A rich oil state in the Gulf, Kuwait has been plunged for several years into a deep crisis between the executive and legislative powers which is undermining hopes of reforms.
The current crown prince, Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, half-brother of the Emir, is 83 years old, and the question that now arises is whether the princely family will choose a leader younger. Kuwait, a conservative country where sovereign powers remain concentrated in the hands of the ruling Al-Sabah family, is nevertheless home to the most active and powerful Parliament in the Gulf.