Kuwait's new Emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Sabah, took the oath of office in Parliament at noon on Wednesday, completing the process to become the country's new ruler.
Sheikh Nawaf, crown prince to Sheikh Sabah who died at 91 on Tuesday, was named as the new leader by Cabinet on Tuesday evening. The Parliament oath completes the 83-year-old's ascension to the throne.
He pledged to work for the prosperity of Gulf Arab states as well as stability as he called for uniting ranks in the face of challenges.
Sheikh Nawaf, speaking with a broken voice, paid tribute to the late Emir Sheikh Sabah, remembering his achievements and advice. "Kuwait has overcome many crises in its history and we face critical challenges today that requires unity and serious work," he said.
Sheikh Nawaf pledged to advance and protect the country and its people, affirmed his belief in Kuwait’s political system, its institutions and its constitution.
"The country has succeeded in overcoming difficulties by joining forces and uniting with the world and I will do my best to preserve the country's dignity and protect its security," he said.
Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al Ghanim said the new Emir is "a mix between modesty and firmness," following inaugural address. He highlighted the new leader’s long career and experience and said the "start of his new era will entail fighting against corruption, respecting the law and ensuring good reaches the public."
"Sheikh Sabah led the country to safety at times of crises that were flaring up around us, but we are confident that Sheikh Nawaf can guide and lead Kuwait to prosperity," he added.
State television carried an address by Anas Khalid Al Saleh, Kuwait’s interior minister and deputy prime minister, announcing Sheikh Nawaf had taken the position only hours after Sheikh Sabah’s death on Tuesday evening.
Minister of Royal Court Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah on Wednesday said that the funeral for Sheikh Sabah will only be open to family.
He thanked the people of Kuwait for their heartfelt condolences but said that due to the coronavirus pandemic control measures, the funeral would be closed to the public.
The body of Sheikh Sabah arrived back in the country on Wednesday, a day after he died in the United States where he had been receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic hospital in Minnesota since July following surgery in Kuwait earlier in the month.
A Kuwait government Airbus A340 jet left the Rochester International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.
Sheikh Nawaf has served as the crown prince since 2006, jumping a traditional order of alternating rule between the Al Jaber and the Al Salim branches of the country’s ruling family.
While the line of succession was clear, the conversation in the royal palaces will now turn to who will become Sheikh Nawaf’s crown prince. The discussion over succession can take time, especially with the mourning period in the country, as branches of the family will make their case for the best candidate.
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US Ambassador to UN Adlai Stevenson with Talat Ghoussein, Charge d'Affaires of Kuwait Embassy and then Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Sabah, at Kuwaiti reception at UN. Getty Images -
Sheikh Sabah, Kuwait's foreign minister between 1963 and 2003, and Khalid Jaffar, Kuwait's ambassador to London, with Sir Neville Bland Of the UK Foreign Office in 1964. Rex Features -
US president Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, secretary of state, meet Arab foreign ministers Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria, Sheikh Sabah of Kuwait and Omar Saqqaf of Saudi Arabia on October 17, 1973 at the Oval Office in Washington, United States. AFP -
French president Jacques Chirac shakes hands with Sheikh Sabah at the Elysee Palace in Paris on September 7, 1998. AFP -
Kuwait's foreign minister Sheikh Sabah, commerce minister Abdel Wahab Al Wazzan and finance and communications minister Sheikh Ahmad open the Gulf state's free trade zone in November 1999. AFP -
Sheikh Sabah kisses a Palestinian boy at a hospital in October 2000. Sheikh Sabah visited five Palestinians who had arrived in Kuwait for medical care. AFP -
Kuwaiti's first deputy premier, foreign minister and chairman of the Supreme Petroleum Council Sheikh Sabah visits injured oil workers following a blast at the Al Rawdhatain oilfield north of Kuwait, near the border with Iraq. Four people were killed and 19 others injured. AFP -
Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri talks to Kuwait's deputy premier and foreign minister Sheikh Sabah during the opening session of the Arab leader's summit in Sharm El Sheikh in March 2003. AFP -
Kuwaiti prime minister Sheikh Sabah performs a Kuwaiti traditional dance during the inauguration of a naval base in Kuwait in 2004. AFP -
US president George W Bush shakes hands with Kuwait's prime minister Sheikh Sabah in the Oval Office of the White House in July 2005. Reuters -
Sheikh Sabah welcomes Sultan Qaboos of Oman to Kuwait City in June 2005 at the start of a three-day official visit. AFP -
Sheikh Saad, Sheikh Salem, chief of Kuwait's national guard, and prime minister Sheikh Sabah receive condolences on the death of Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Jaber at the Al Bayan Palace on January 17, 2006 in Kuwait City. AFP -
Sheikh Sabah meets Jordan's King Abdullah in September 2008. Reuters -
Chinese President Hu Jintao walks with Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah during a welcoming ceremony held at the Great Wall of the People in Beijing, China in May 2009. EPA -
Sheikh Sabah arrives with UAE President, Sheikh Khalifa at the final session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait City on December 15, 2009. AFP -
President Sheikh Khalifa with Sheikh Sabah at the GCC Summit in the UAE in December 2010. EPA -
Sheikh Sabah at the December 2010 GCC Summit. EPA -
Sheikh Sabah is welcomed by Crown Prince Naruhito prior to their official dinner at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2012. Reuters -
Sheikh Sabah chats with Queen Elizabeth II as he arrives at Windsor Castle during a three-day state visit on November 27, 2012. Getty Images -
Sheikh Khalifa meets Sheikh Sabah in Al Ain on October 3, 2012. AFP -
Sheikh Sabah with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in 2014. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid receives Sheikh Sabah at the Presidential Airport. Seen with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid of Kuwait, November 07, 2014. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Crown Prince Court -
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed with Sheikh Sabah at Abu Dhabi's Presidential Airport in October 2014. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi -
US president Barack Obama shakes hands with Sheikh Sabah at Camp David in May 2015. EPA -
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid meet with Sheikh Sabah at Zabeel Palace, June 7, 2017. Rashed Al Mansoori / Crown Prince Court -
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 5, 2018. AFP -
Sheikh Sabah meets Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas during the 2013 Arab-African Summit in Kuwait. Getty Images -
Sheikh Sabah is received by Bahrain's King Hamad upon his arrival in Bahrain for the GCC summit in December 2016. Reuters -
Sheikh Sabah and Saudi Arabia's King Salman in Jeddah on June 6, 2017. Reuters -
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah greets the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Kuwait in September 2018. Reuters -
King Abdullah II of Jordan attending a meeting in Mecca with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Emir Sheikh Sabah of Kuwait and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE. AFP -
Sheikh Sabah at the Kuwait National Assembly in October 2019. EPA
On September 18, US President Donald Trump awarded Sheikh Sabah the prestigious Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander. It was the first time the honour has been given since 1991 and was presented to the Emir’s eldest son, Sheikh Nasser Al Sabah, at a private ceremony with Mr Trump.
The White House praised the emir as an “unwavering friend and partner to the United States” who gave “indispensable support to the United States throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the Defeat-ISIS campaign”.
Mr Trump on Tuesday joined world leaders expressing their sadness at the Emir’s passing. He described Sheikh Sabah as “a dear friend” and described him as an “unparalleled diplomat” who “tirelessly mediated to end conflicts in the Middle East”.
Sheikh Sabah “was an extraordinary symbol of wisdom and generosity, a messenger of peace, a bridge-builder”, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
