A look into dynamic legacy of Kuwait’s Sheikh Nawaf

When Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ascended to the throne as the Emir of Kuwait in 2020, he was 83 years old, and consequently, his reign lasted only three years and a half.

It is worth noting that he had been away from the spotlight in the last few months, to the extent that he delegated two years ago the Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to undertake some of the Emir's responsibilities.

However, before that, and as the Crown Prince, he held the position for fourteen years during the reign of his late brother, Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, after being sworn in by the National Assembly to assume the position.

He is the sixth son of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the former ruler of Kuwait, from his wife Yemama. He is the sixth after independence from Britain and the sixteenth since the Al-Sabah family took over the reins of governance in Kuwait almost two hundred and seventy years ago.

His political career began more than sixty-one years ago as the governor of the Hawally region, which he developed into a modern area.

He then held the ministries of interior and defense several times, where he developed the work's military and civilian aspects. He worked on modernizing and expanding the camps of the Ministry of Defense, equipping them with the latest weapons and machinery.

Like his predecessor, he was keen on mediating between Arab and Gulf parties in conflict and avoided involvement in regional conflicts.

Additionally, he consistently called for peaceful solutions, making him highly esteemed among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

He led mediation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, contributing to lifting the blockade on Qatar and welcoming it back into the Gulf fold.

He also praised the Saudi-Iranian reconciliation and its impact on the Gulf Arab situation.

The Crown Prince, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, will assume the throne in Kuwait.

Furthermore, the Kuwaiti constitution clearly defines the mechanism for the transfer of power within the Al-Sabah family. It stipulates that the Emir of the country nominates the Crown Prince within one year of assuming power, and the parliament either accepts or rejects the nomination in a secret session.

However, it has never happened before that the National Assembly rejected any nominee for the Crown Prince during the modern political life in Kuwait.