Bahraini King appoints Prince Salman as Prime Minister

Shafaq News/ Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Bahraini King today issued Royal Order appointing Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, as Prime Minister. 

Bahrain’s long-serving Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has died, the state media reported. He was 84.

 “The Royal Court mourns His Royal Highness … who passed away this morning at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States of America,” the Bahrain News Agency said on Wednesday, without elaborating.

The king announced official mourning for a week during which flags will be flown at half-mast, the agency said.

The burial ceremony will take place upon the repatriation of his body and the funeral will be limited to a specific number of relatives, it said.

Sheikh Khalifa was one of the world’s longest-serving prime ministers who led his island nation’s government for decades and survived the 2011 Arab Spring protests that demanded his removal over corruption allegations.