Kuwait Names New Emir

Kuwait has announced the appointment of Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, a former crown prince, as the country's new emir, Anadolu Agency reports.

In its statement, the Cabinet of Ministers of Kuwait officially proclaimed 83-year-old Sheikh Meshal as the new emir of the country. According to the constitutional provisions of Kuwait, the crown prince takes over the reins of power when it is his turn.

The new emir succeeded Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who died at the age of 86. At the end of November, he was sent to hospital, but the reason for his hospitalisation was not given.

The late emir, who had ruled the country since September 29, 2020, will be buried on Sunday during a ceremony attended only by close relatives. The ceremony will take place at the Bilal ibn Rabah Mosque in Kuwait City.

A few hours after the news of the emir's death was made public on Saturday, December 16, US President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell expressed their condolences to Kuwait.

The new emir and the royal family will receive condolences at Bayan Palace on Monday and Tuesday.

In an official statement, the Kuwaiti government also expressed condolences over the death of the emir, announcing 40 days of mourning and closing official institutions for three days.

According to the website of the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah was born in 1940 and grew up in the ruling house as "the seventh son of the ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, and brother of three late rulers", whose reigns spanned from 1977 to this year, including Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, his half-brother.

Before the death of his predecessor, Sheikh Meshal also served as Deputy Emir. In his speeches, he has consistently stressed the importance of consensus between the Cabinet and the National Assembly (parliament) to address the wishes of the public after previous political crises between the two bodies.

Emir Meshaal is the seventeenth ruler of the country and the fifth in the history of the country to take the constitutional oath before the National Assembly, in accordance with the Constitution and the provisions of the Law of Succession.