Kuwait’s ruler Emir Sheikh Sabah successfully undergoes surgery: KUNA

Kuwait's 91-year-old ruler underwent a surgery that required the oil-rich nation's crown prince to be temporarily empowered to serve in his place, according to a ministerial decree seen Sunday.

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Kuwait has yet to elaborate what required Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment on Saturday.

The state-run KUNA news agency had described Sheikh al-Sabah's hospitalization Saturday as “medical checks,” citing a statement from the country's royal court. Several hours later, KUNA published a second report saying that 83-year-old Crown Prince Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah had assumed some of Sheikh al-Sabah’s powers temporarily, without explaining why that was necessary.

However, a copy of the ministerial decree posted by Kuwait's official gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm, and seen by The Associated Press on Sunday said the crown prince would be empowered for “the duration of a surgical procedure until the health event is over.”

The decree did not elaborate. Kuwait's Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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