Emir Mishal of Kuwait named his heir this Saturday, June 1, 2024. Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah, former prime minister of the emirate, becomes the new heir to the throne at 71 years old. The prince is the first member of the Hamad branch of the Al-Sabah dynasty to achieve this position.
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Emir Mishal appointed Sheikh Sabah as Crown Prince of Kuwait
Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah died in December 2023, aged 86, after only three years of rule. His half-brother, Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, succeeded him at age 83. Sheikh Mishal was until then the oldest crown prince in the world. Since his accession to the throne, Emir Mishal had yet to decide on the name of his successor.
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This Saturday, June 1, 2024, the KUNA agency reports that the Emir of Kuwait published a decree appointing Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah as crown prince. Sheikh Sabah, 71, served as Prime Minister of Kuwait from November 2019 to July 2022 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2019. He is the son of Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad and Mouza bint Ahmad al-Sabah, a daughter of Emir Ahmad who reigned over Kuwait from 1921 to 1950. The new crown prince is therefore expected to become the next ruler of Kuwait. An Emirati order was issued by the Emir to ratify the decision, which will be enshrined in the constitution being revised.
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Sheikh Sabah will become the first emir from the Hamad cadet branch of the Al-Sabah dynasty which has ruled Kuwait since 1752. Since 1977, sons of Emir Ahmad have succeeded one another on the throne, with the exception of Emir Saad, who only reigned for ten days in 2006 before abdicating and who was a cousin of the previous ones.
Three weeks ago, the Emir announced the dissolution of the National Assembly (Majlis Al Oumma) and the suspension of certain articles of the Constitution for a period not exceeding four years. During this period, all aspects of the democratic process will be studied, the results of the study will be presented and the appropriate decision will be made. “The population oscillates between the hope of an overhaul of the local political system, which would put an end to the institutional blockages that have paralyzed the country for decades, and the fear of the end of the Kuwaiti exception, which would lead to an authoritarian drift”analyzes Le Monde.
Kuwait has an area equal to twice that of the Marne department for nearly 4.3 million inhabitants, which represents more than 200 inhabitants per square kilometer, or double the French density. Only 1.3 million inhabitants are of Kuwaiti nationality. Kuwait borders Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. The country also has a 500 kilometer coastline which represents the northern Persian Gulf. Kuwait has the sixth largest known oil reserves in the world.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
