Manama:
Prince of Bahrain Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, the world‘s longest-serving prime minister who had held the post since independence in 1971, died on Wednesday at the age of 84, state media reported.
“The Royal Court mourns Her Royal Highness … who died this morning at the Mayo Clinic in the United States of America,” the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said, adding that the country would hold out for a week of official mourning.
The burial ceremony will take place after the body has been transported from the United States, and will be limited to a “specific number” of relatives in accordance with the coronavirus restrictions.
During the period of mourning, flags will be half-masted and government ministries and departments closed for three days.
Prince Khalifa was a controversial figure during his long time in power – and deeply unpopular with the Shia majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.
When Shiite-led protesters occupied Manama’s Pearl Square for a month in 2011, before being driven out by Saudi-backed security forces, their main demand was for Khalifa to resign.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)