SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Bahrain’s Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa, the world’s longest serving prime minister and a staunch ally of neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United States, has died, the royal palace said on Wednesday.
Sheikh Khalifa, a dominant figure in the Gulf island’s politics for much of his near half century in power, passed on Wednesday morning at Mayo Clinic hospital in the United States, Bahrain’s state news agency reported.
Khalifa, 84, the uncle of King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, had served as prime minister since the Sunni Muslim-led island kingdom declared independence from Britain in 1971, almost half a century. The al-Khalifa family has ruled since 1783, according to Reuters.
Prince Khalifa’s power and wealth could be seen everywhere in this small nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, AFP reported. His official portrait hung for decades on walls alongside the country’s ruler.
In August, Sheikh Khalifa left the kingdom for what official media called at the time “a private visit abroad”, Reuters said.
Earlier this year, he spent time in Germany for unspecified medical treatment, returning to Bahrain in March.
The burial ceremony will take place upon the repatriation of his body and the funeral will be limited to a specific number of relatives, Bahrain’s state news agency said.
Official mourning has been declared for a week and government ministries and departments will close for three days starting Thursday.
