1 of 1 Sheikh Nawaf alAhmad alSabah, Emir of Kuwait — Photo: Yasser AlZayyat/AFP Sheikh Nawaf alAhmad alSabah, Emir of Kuwait — Photo: Yasser AlZayyat/AFP
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf alAhmad alSabah, died this Saturday (16) at the age of 86According to the royal court, just over three years after taking power in the Gulf oilproducing country, an ally of the United States.
The cause of death was not immediately announced. The emir was hospitalized late last month for a health emergency, the state news agency said, but his condition was stable.
Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal alAhmad alSabah, 83, brother of Sheikh Nawaf, is the designated successor. In fact, he is the one who has ruled Kuwait since 2021, when the fragile emir relinquished most of his duties.
Sheikh Nawaf became emir in September 2020 following the death of his brother Sheikh Sabah, who ruled for more than a decade and shaped the country's foreign policy for more than 50 years.
He viewed diplomats as consensus builders, although his reign was marked by an intense impasse between the government and the elected parliament that prevented important structural reforms in the oilrich country.
Kuwait, which has the world's seventhlargest oil reserves, borders Saudi Arabia and Iraq and lies across the Gulf from Iran.
Since taking office in 2020, Sheikh Nawaf has pursued a foreign policy that emphasizes balanced relations with these neighbors, while eight governments have been formed at home.
According to the Kuwaiti Constitution: the crown prince automatically becomes emir, but only takes power after an oath in parliament. The new emir has up to a year to name an heir.