Guwahati: Kuwait’s new leader, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 83, will take the reins of one of the world’s wealthiest countries as it faces a financial crisis made worse by internal political wrangling.
On September 29, Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 91, passed away while receiving treatment in the US.
Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah has been named Kuwaiti emir by the country’s cabinet, succeeding his deceased brother Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
According to the Kuwaiti constitution, the crown prince automatically becomes emir and assumes power after taking oath in parliament.
The cabinet has also announced a 40-day period of mourning for the late Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
Sheikh Nawaf, 83, had served as the crown prince since 2006, breaking with the tradition of the Al-Sabah family. According to the custom, the offices of emir and crown prince alternate between the Al-Jaber and Al-Salem branches.
He assumed the office of Kuwait’s defence minister in 1988 and served until the invasion of the country by the forces of then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as he and the other royals were forced to flee to Saudi Arabia.
After the liberation of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf briefly served as the acting minister of labour and social affairs and was then appointed as deputy chief of the Kuwait National Guard, holding that post until 2003.
Following an Amiri decree issued that same year, he became the first deputy prime minister of Kuwait and minister of the interior.
After reports of the emir’s death emerged online earlier in the day, the official spokesman for the Kuwaiti government called on the international community to “take information from official sources and not pay attention to what is being raised on social media”.
Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 91, has passed away while receiving treatment in the US. Prior to the announcement, Kuwaiti television interrupted regular programming to cut to Koranic verses – a move which often signifies the death of a senior member of the country’s ruling family.
