The Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah has died.
He was aged 86.
The Emir died just three years after assuming power in the US-allied Gulf oil producer, , according to the royal court.
Sheikh al-Ahmad was admitted to the hospital late last month due to what was described at the time as an emergency health problem but said that he was in stable condition.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, who has been Kuwait’s de facto ruler since 2021, when the frail emir handed over most of his duties, was named as Sheikh Nawaf’s successor.
Report says Sheikh Nawaf became emir in September 2020 following the death of his brother, Sheikh Sabah, who had ruled for more than a decade and shaped the state’s foreign policy for over 50 years.
Kuwait, holder of the world’s seventh-largest oil reserves, borders Saudi Arabia and Iraq and lies across the Gulf from Iran.
It was invaded and occupied by Iraq in 1990, sparking the first Gulf War several months later in 1991 when the United States and other nations defeated Iraq and liberated Kuwait.
Since he took over in 2020, Sheikh Nawaf maintained a foreign policy that balanced ties with those neighbours, whilst domestically eight governments were formed under his rule.
Analysts and diplomats say that Sheikh Nawaf, and his crown prince Sheikh Meshal, both appeared to align Kuwait more closely with regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.
The new emir’s choice of crown prince and premier who would be tasked with managing the government’s often stormy relationship with parliament will be watched closely as a younger generation of Kuwait’s ruling family jostles for position.
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