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Kuwait’s new emir urges national unity in run-up to elections

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah told lawmakers he would follow in the footsteps of the late emir.

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Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (C) gestures in greeting as he arrives with Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (R) and parliament speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim (L) to attend the opening of the 5th regular session at the country's National Assembly (parliament) in Kuwait City on Oct. 20, 2020. — YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

In a speech delivered to lawmakers on Tuesday, Kuwait’s new emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, called for national unity as the country gears up for parliamentary elections in December.

National unity is the “most powerful weapon” against the country’s current crises, the Gulf state ruler said, according to state news agency KUNA.

“I would also like, God willing, to reaffirm our commitment to democracy, respect of the constitution, state of law and institutions,” he said.

Sabah, 83, told lawmakers he would continue in the path of his brother, the late Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The 91-year-old died late last month after ruling the Gulf state for more than a decade.

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