DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The 91-year-old emir of Kuwait underwent a “successful” surgery on Sunday that required the crown prince of the oil-rich nation to be temporarily empowered to serve in his place, its state-run news agency reported. Kuwait has yet to explain why the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, needed to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment beginning Saturday. However, Sheikh Sabah’s sudden surgery could renew a power struggle within Kuwait’s ruling family. The state-run KUNA news agency had described Sheikh Sabah’s hospitalization on Saturday as “medical checks,” citing a statement from the country’s royal court. Several hours later, KUNA published a second report saying that the 83-year-old crown prince, Nawaf Al al-Ahmad al-Sabah, had assumed some of Sheikh Sabah’s powers temporarily, without explaining why that was necessary.

Source: New York Times July 19, 2020 14:26 UTC