Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the emir of oil-rich Kuwait, passed away on Saturday, the royal court revealed in a statement, at the age of 86 after leading the gulf nation for three years.
"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn... the death of Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait," said a statement aired on a Kuwaiti news channel, which had cut its regular programming and switched to a broadcast of a recitation of the Holy Quran before the announcement.
According to the official KUNA news agency, Sheikh Nawaf, in November, was admitted to the hospital "due to an emergency health problem". The news agency did not elaborate on his illness but he was later declared in stable condition.
His health has commonly been a concern during his term because of his age.
Sheikh Nawaf was named crown prince in 2006 by his half-brother Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and took over as emir when Sheikh Sabah died in September 2020 at the age of 91.
He had to steer the economy through a crisis caused by a fall in oil prices in 2020.
The incumbent crown prince, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, another half-brother of the late emir, is 83 and much attention will now be focused on whether a ruler from the younger generation is brought in by the family.
Kuwait, a conservative country with a powerful parliament, faces challenges due to standoffs between elected lawmakers and cabinet ministers, which have stifled development efforts and frightened investors, despite the country's strong Al Sabah family's control.
However, repeated standoffs between elected lawmakers and cabinet ministers installed by the ruling family have stymied development efforts and scared off investors.
Following a succession of resigning governments and dissolved parliaments, Kuwait's current cabinet is its fifth in a year.
The political deadlock has delayed necessary reforms and blocked development projects, leaving infrastructure and education in disrepair and much of the population disgruntled.
Sheikh Nawaf, born in 1937, was the fifth son of Kuwait's late ruler from 1921 to 1950 Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He started his political career at the age of 25 as governor of Hawalli province, where he remained until 1978 when he started a decade as interior minister.
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