The emir was admitted to hospital late last month due to what the state news agency described at the time as an emergency health problem, but said that he was in a stable condition.
Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, who has been Kuwait's de facto ruler sine 2021, when the frail emir — his half-brother — handed over most his duties, was named as the successor.
The health of Kuwait's leaders remains a sensitive matter in the Middle Eastern nation bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which has seen internal power struggles behind palace doors.
Sheikh Nawaf's term had been focused on domestic issues as it struggles through political disputes — including the overhaul of Kuwait's welfare system — which prevented the sheikhdom from taking on debt.
In 2021, Sheikh Nawaf issued a long-awaited amnesty decree, pardoning and reducing the sentences of nearly three dozen Kuwaiti dissidents in a move aimed at defusing a major government stand-off.
Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, restored ties after years of a boycott of Doha, easing regional tensions and allowing Sheikh Nawaf to focus on issues at home.
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