Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the governing emir of oil-rich Kuwait, died on Saturday at the age of 86, according to the royal court, following three years in power marked by recurring political disagreements.
“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 state television.
Before the announcement, the channel had cut its usual programming and shifted to a broadcast of a Koranic recital.
According to the official KUNA news agency, Sheikh Nawaf was hospitalized “due to an emergency health problem” in November. It made no mention of his illness, but he was later declared to be in stable condition.
Given his age, concerns about his health were commonplace during his rule.
Sheikh Nawaf was appointed crown prince in 2006 by his half-brother Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. He became emir after Sheikh Sabah died in September 2020, at the age of 91.
Sheikh Nawaf faced the difficulty of steering the economy through a crisis caused by a drop in oil prices in 2020.
Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the current crown prince and another half-brother, is 83 years old. The question now is whether the family will pick a younger generation ruler.
Sheikh Nawaf delegated major constitutional responsibilities to Sheikh Mishal about 14 months after he was appointed emir.
‘Emir of pardons’
According to Bader al-Saif, an assistant professor of history at Kuwait University, Sheikh Nawaf’s tenure was noteworthy for awarding countless amnesties, earning him the title “emir of pardons.”
Kuwait’s Council of Ministers issued a draft royal decree last month calling for the release of political prisoners convicted in the last decade. In 2021, similar pardons were granted.
Sheikh Nawaf would also be remembered for his “unique personal characteristics: soft spoken, devout, modest, and low profile,” according to Saif.
Kuwait, a conservative country where sovereign power is concentrated in the hands of the ruling Al Sabah family, has the Gulf’s most active and powerful parliament.
However, recurring clashes between elected parliamentarians and cabinet ministers appointed by the royal family have hampered development and discouraged investment.
Kuwait’s current cabinet is the fifth in a year, following a string of departing governments and dissolved legislatures.
During Sheikh Nawaf’s reign, the Gulf kingdom had three legislative elections in three years.
The political impasse has stalled vital reforms and development projects, leaving infrastructure and education in disrepair and a large portion of the populace dissatisfied.
Sheikh Nawaf was born in 1937, the fifth son of Kuwait’s late monarch from 1921 to 1950, Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
He began his political career as governor of Hawalli province at the age of 25, a position he held until 1978, when he began a decade-long tenure as interior minister.