KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait saw a quick transition to a new emir on Saturday following the death at 86 of Shaikh Nawaf al Ahmad al Sabah after three years in power.
He was succeeded by his half-brother, Shaikh Meshal, who takes over the oil-rich Gulf kingdom at the age of 83, state television reported.
Shaikh Meshal, who had already assumed some key constitutional duties of the emir in 2021, has spent most of his career in Kuwait's security and intelligence apparatus.
State TV cut its regular programming and switched to a broadcast of a Quranic recital before announcing Shaikh Nawaf's death.
"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn... the death of Shaikh Nawaf al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait," said a statement on state TV.
Public offices will shut for three days and 40 days of mourning were declared.
Shaikh Nawaf, who will be laid to rest on Sunday, had been hospitalised in November, but had been said to be in a stable condition.
Born in 1937, Shaikh Nawaf took over as emir in September 2020 upon the death of Shaikh Sabah, at the age of 91.
Shaikh Nawaf's rule saw three parliamentary elections in as many years, and there have been five different government cabinets in 2023.
Sheikh Nawaf issued numerous amnesties for political prisoners, earning him the title "emir of pardons".
He will "be remembered for his unique personal attributes: soft spoken, devout, modest, low profile", said Bader al Saif, a history professor at Kuwait University.
Condolences flooded in from around the world.
"He served his country for six decades and fulfilled his duty with all sincerity," said Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, on X, formerly Twitter.
Saudi Arabia's royal court said the kingdom "and its people share the sorrows of their brothers in the State of Kuwait".
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the shaikh "a great friend of the UK" and a statement by the Kremlin said "he had great authority in the Middle East."
A father of 12, Shaikh Meshal becomes Kuwait's 17th ruler. He will have a year to name a new crown prince.
Shaikh Meshal was deputy chief of the Kuwait National Guard from 2004 to 2020, and was named crown prince when Shaikh Nawaf took power.
He spent many years in the interior ministry, rising through the ranks to head the department of general investigation from 1967 until 1980 where he was credited for strengthening its function as a state security service. - Agencies
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