Bahrain's Prime Minister, in power since 1971, dies
Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa, Bahrain's prime minister since 1971, died at the age of 84 on Wednesday, according to state media.
"The Royal Court mourns His Royal Highness ... who died this morning at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States of America," the Bahrain News Agency said Wednesday, without giving further details.
The Prime Minister has died at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, United States, from unrelated causes. Authorities have decreed a week of official mourning and announced that official institutions will be closed for three days starting Thursday.
The burial ceremony will take place after the repatriation of his body and the funeral will be limited to a specific number of family members, the official statement said.
Khalifa was one of the longest-serving prime ministers in the world who led his island nation's government for decades and survived the 2011 Arab Spring protests that demanded his removal from office on corruption charges.
The prince represented the old Gulf leadership style, one that guaranteed patronage and favours in return for support to the Sunni al-Khalifa family. This style was challenged by the 2011 protests led by the island's Shiite majority and others, who demonstrated against him over allegations of corruption that peppered his long tenure.
Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa belongs to Bahrain's ruling dynasty, the Al Khalifa, and had maintained a basically ceremonial agenda in recent weeks. According to BNA, the last messages from his office included congratulating Joe Biden on his victory in the US presidential elections.
In August Jalifa left the kingdom for what the official media called "a private visit abroad". At the beginning of the year he spent some time in Germany to receive medical treatment, though no further details were given, and in March he returned to Bahrain.
Bahrain, a staunch ally of neighbouring Saudi Arabia and the United States, is also the base of operations of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.
The son of Bahrain's former ruler, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who ruled from 1942 to 1961, Sheikh Khalifa learned to rule at his father's side while the island remained a British protectorate.
His brother, Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, assumed power in 1961 and served as monarch when Bahrain gained its independence from Britain in 1971. Under an informal arrangement, Sheikh Isa was responsible for the island's diplomacy and ceremonial duties, while Sheikh Khalifa ran the government and economy.
The years that followed saw Bahrain develop rapidly as it sought to move beyond its dependence on dwindling oil reserves. Manama at that time served as what Dubai in the United Arab Emirates eventually became, a regional financial, service and tourism centre.
