Kuwait's New Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (French)
Kuwait announced that Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was chosen as the emir of the country, succeeding Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was announced dead on Saturday afternoon at the age of 86.
The Kuwaiti cabinet said in a statement that it "calls Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as the emir of the country." According to the country's constitution, the crown prince automatically becomes a prince and has up to a year to choose a new crown prince.
The Kuwaiti government mourned the late Amir, declaring 40 days of mourning and closing official departments for 3 days.
For his part, the Amiri Diwan announced in a statement that "the burial ceremony of the body of the late Amir is limited to his relatives only, at the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque (in the Kuwaiti capital) tomorrow, Sunday."
According to the statement, "the Amir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Al-Sabah family receive condolences for the deceased of the homeland at the Diwan of the Al-Sabah family, at Bayan Palace, Monday and Tuesday."
The late prince was hospitalized at the end of November due to an emergency health ailment.
Sheikh Nawaf was named crown prince in 2006 before succeeding in 2020 his half-brother Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who died in September of that year at the age of 91.
Sheikh Nawaf was born in 1937, the fifth son of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the late Amir who led Kuwait from 1921 until his death in 1950.
Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies