Kuwait Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal named new Amir

Kuwait's crown prince, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, was named the country's new emir after the death on Saturday of his predecessor Sheikh Nawaf, state television reported.

“With great sadness and sorrow, we – the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world – mourn the late His Highness the emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away to his Lord today,” Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah al-Sabah, the minister of his emiri court, said in a statement aired on state television on Saturday.

Authorities gave no cause of death, but announced the start of a 40-day official mourning period and a three-day closure of government departments.

Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in in September 2020 after the death of his half-brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, in the United States at the age of 91.

"Kuwait's cabinet names crown prince, his highness Sheikh Meshal... emir of the state of Kuwait," the broadcaster said.