The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom since independence in 1971, died at a hospital in the United States on Wednesday morning, at the age of 84, the State Palace was quoted as saying by international news agencies. Newspaper.
Sheikh Khalifa Ben Salman, the uncle of the current King of Bahrain Hamad, has recorded the longest life among the world’s prime ministers. AcerPress.
A week of national mourning has been declared in the country, the royal palace said on Twitter.
A senior Bahraini official has been admitted to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in the US state of Minnesota, state public news agency PNA reported.
Funeral services will be held after the body is brought into the country, and only a small number of relatives can attend.
The late Prime Minister, a member of the Khalifa dynasty, was seen as the dominant figure in power in Bahrain, which is hostile to Iran and an ally of Saudi Arabia.
Among other things, Sheikh Khalifa led the repression of the social and political unrest that had taken place over time in the Shiite-majority kingdom, but led by the Sunni ruling family.
In 2011-2012, he denounced the anti-Arab spring movement and its impact on Arab countries.
“Do you think I like what is happening in all these countries? There is no Arab Spring. Spring is not about flowers, happy people and love, death, chaos and destruction,” The Spiegel told the German press in 2012.
An island state of about 1.5 million people, Bahrain is hosting the Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy, the AFP reported.
Author: V.M.