KUWAIT (Reuters) – Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, died on Saturday at the age of 86, according to the royal court, a little more than three years after taking the helm of the Gulf oil state, ally of the United States.
The cause of his death was not immediately specified. The emir was admitted to hospital in late November due to what the state news agency described at the time as an urgent health problem, but said his condition was stable.
Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, de facto ruler of Kuwait since 2021, when the emir, in fragile health, ceded most of his functions, was designated as successor.
Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah 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 more than 50 years, contributing in particular to the reconstruction of Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion of 1990.
Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah was seen by diplomats as a consensus builder, even though his rule was marked by an impasse between the government and the elected parliament, which hampered key structural reforms in the wealthy Gulf state in oil. In recent months, consensus has returned between the government and Parliament.
Kuwait, which holds the seventh largest oil reserves in the world, borders Saudi Arabia and Iraq and is located on the other side of the Gulf, facing Iran.
Since coming to power, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah’s foreign policy had helped balance ties with these neighbors. In terms of domestic politics, eight governments were formed under his reign.
Under the Kuwaiti constitution, the crown prince automatically becomes emir, but only gains power after taking an oath before Parliament. The new emir has up to a year to designate an heir.
Both Sheikh Nawaf and Sheikh Meshal appeared to strengthen Kuwait’s alignment with regional power Saudi Arabia, analysts and diplomats said.
SAUDI ARABIA AND CHINA SEEN AS PRIORITIES
In taking the helm of the OPEC member, Sheikh Mehshal is expected to preserve Kuwait’s key foreign policies, including support for Gulf Arab unity, Western alliances and good relations with Riyadh – seen as a top priority for him .
It could also seek to expand cooperation with China, which wants to play a bigger role in the region, particularly after Beijing sponsored a deal in March normalizing relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Meshal signed several economic agreements during a visit to China in September, while attending the opening ceremony of the Asian Olympics.
“He wants stability and particularly emphasizes the importance of Kuwait’s relations with Saudi Arabia,” a Kuwaiti source said, adding that Sheikh Meshal was concerned about the situation and regional conflicts.
A Western diplomat described him as an early riser with a methodical working style. “He pays attention to details, sometimes very small details,” the diplomat said.
While Sheikh Sabah was closer to diplomatic work, Sheikh Meshal has more ties to the military, he added.
Sheikh Meshal served as deputy head of the National Guard from 2004 to 2020 and head of state security for 13 years after joining the Interior Ministry in the 1960s.
Married with five sons and seven daughters, he is the seventh son of former ruler Ahmed al-Jaber and the brother of three former rulers, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad and Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad.
FACTION STRUGGLES
The new emir’s choice of crown prince and prime minister – who will have to manage the often stormy relations between the government and Parliament – will be closely monitored, as the younger generation of Kuwait’s ruling family jostles to assert themselves.
These factional struggles within the al Sabah family often played out in Parliament, with succession candidates building their own political capital and national base.
Before ceding most of his constitutional functions to his designated heir, Sheikh Nawaf tried to obtain relaxation on the domestic political scene, in particular by granting an amnesty to dissidents long demanded by opposition figures.
But the deadlock persisted and Sheikh Meshal attempted to end the political wrangling this year by dissolving parliament and calling early elections in June.
Kuwait bans parliamentary parties, but remains one of the region’s most politically liberal states, with lively political debate and the region’s most powerful elected legislature, which includes Sunnis, Shiites , liberals and Islamists.
(Reporting Ahmed Hagagy, Clauda Tanios and Adam Makary; written by Alexander Cornwell, French version Benjamin Mallet)
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