Kuwait’s Emir Mishal Al Ahmad Al Sabah has named former PM Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah as Crown Prince. The 2 June announcement solidifies the line of succession in Kuwait, although at 71 years old the new Crown Prince does not herald much of a generational transition.
The appointment of Sheikh Sabah as heir took observers by surprise. For one thing, he is the first former prime minister to have held the role, after having resigned in 2022 following a turbulent three-year tenure in which he oversaw four government resignations. Unlike his two immediate predecessors, his term didn’t end in scandal (MEES, 29 July 2022). He will also be the first emir of the modern Kuwaiti state not to come from either the Al Jaber and Al Salem branches of the ruling family, and as such the first who is not the son of a former emir. (CONTINUED - 633 WORDS)
