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Ammon News - Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Wednesday was sworn in before parliament as the 17th Emir of Kuwait.

At a special session of the National Assembly, the new ruler read: “I swear by Almighty Allah to respect the Constitution and the laws of the State, to defend the liberties, interests and properties of the people and to safeguard the independence and territorial integrity of the country,” as stated in article 60 of the Kuwaiti constitution.

Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah passed away on Saturday at the age of 86, the Amiri Diwan said in a broadcasted statement, and then-Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal was declared the new Emir.

Sheikh Meshaal received condolences on the death of the late Emir from a number of leaders and political figures who flocked to the country over the past three days.

According to the Kuwaiti Crown Prince's website, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah was born in 1940 and grew up in the ruling house “the seventh son of the ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, and a brother to three late rulers" whose reigns took place from 1977 to this year, including Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, his half-brother.

Sheikh Meshal took the position of crown prince on Oct. 8, 2020, with the endorsement of then-Emir Sheikh Nawaf, and the allegiance of the National Assembly, according to the same source.

The new emir was educated at Al-Mubarakia School, the first formal school in the country and attended Hendon Police College in the UK to study police sciences, and graduated in 1960.

After graduation, he joined the Interior Ministry and progressed through various positions until he became the head of general investigations in 1967 with the rank of colonel, holding the position until 1980.

Sheikh Meshal was appointed deputy chief of the National Guard with ministerial rank in 2004, according to the Kuwaiti source.

He achieved "accomplishments in the security and military institution," including "preparing technically competent elements and training them with experience and expertise to deal with exceptional circumstances," it added.

The National Guard is a military unit independent of the army and police, with tasks including supporting the army in defending the country and assisting the police forces in maintaining security, stability, and protecting the domestic front against threats.

Before the death of his predecessor, Sheikh Meshal also held the position of deputy emir. He consistently emphasized the importance of consensus between the Cabinet and the National Assembly (parliament) in his speeches to address public wishes following previous political crises between the two bodies.

​​​​​​​Emir Meshal is the seventeenth ruler of the country and the fifth to take the constitutional oath before the National Assembly in the country's history, in line with the Constitution and the provisions of the Law of Succession to the Throne.