KUWAIT CITY, Sept 30, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Kuwait prepared Wednesday to swear
in its new emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and to receive the body of
his half-brother, the late ruler Sheikh Sabah who died in the US at the age
of 91.
The body of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, an acclaimed diplomat and
mediator who ruled for 14 years, is expected to arrive in Kuwait City later
on Wednesday. He died the day before in Minnesota where he had been
undergoing treatment in hospital since July.
According to the royal court, the funeral will be “restricted to the emir’s
relatives” — a move likely designed to avoid large crowds amid the
coronavirus pandemic.
Kuwait’s new leader, 83-year-old Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf, is to be sworn
in at an 0700 GMT session of the National Assembly. The country has already
begun a 40-day period of national mourning.
Sheikh Sabah earned a reputation as a shrewd, unshakeable leader who helped
steer his country through the 1990 Iraqi invasion, crashes in global oil
markets and upheavals in parliament and on the streets.
World leaders and Kuwaitis alike have hailed the legacy of the late emir,
architect of the nation’s modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the
worst crises to grip the Gulf.
“This man was the safety valve of the Arab world, not just for Kuwait,”
Bandar al-Dahani, a Kuwaiti citizen, told AFP.
“God willing, that goodness will be in Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf and he
will follow the emir’s path.”
– Generational transition looms –
Sheikh Nawaf, who has held high office for decades, takes over with Kuwait
facing the repercussions of the coronavirus crisis, which triggered a sharp
decline in oil prices and severe economic consequences for Gulf states.
The elder statesman, who was named heir apparent in 2006, served as defence
minister when Iraqi troops rolled into the oil-rich emirate in 1990, and also
as interior minister in the face of challenges from Islamist militants.
The new leader is popular within the ruling Al-Sabah family and is reported
to have been a consensus choice for ruler. He also enjoys a reputation for
modesty and has largely maintained a low profile.
Major policy changes are not expected during his reign, even after the Gulf
underwent a seismic shift with Kuwait’s neighbours, the UAE and Bahrain,
opting to establish relations with Israel.
Normalisation with the Jewish state is highly unpopular among the Kuwaiti
public, which largely supports the Arab world’s historic position of
demanding a resolution of the Palestinian cause before giving diplomatic
concessions to Israel.
Despite expectations for a smooth succession, there could be more spirited
debate over who the new crown prince should be.
Kuwait’s constitution stipulates that the ruler should be a descendant of
the nation’s founder, Mubarak al-Sabah, but the throne has alternated between
the descendants of his sons, Salem and Jaber, for four decades.
Contestants for the newly vacated role of crown prince include Sheikh
Sabah’s son and former deputy prime minister Nasser Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah,
a Kuwaiti political heavyweight.
“Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed should be viewed more as a caretaker than as a
watershed new leader,” said Cinzia Bianco, a research fellow at the European
Council on Foreign Relations.
“Behind the scenes, however, younger princes would likely continue to
compete to succeed him.”