Bahrain prime minister, the world’s longest serving, dies aged 84

Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s prime minister has died. The cause of death is as yet unknown.

Prince Khalifa had been the country’s prime minister since 1971, when Bahrain declared independence and survived through the Arab Spring protests of 2011.

He was the son of Bahrain’s former ruler, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa who ruled the country from 1942- 1961.

State media, the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said: “The Royal Court mourns His Royal Highness... who passed away this morning at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States of America."

They also announced that the country will hold an official week of mourning in remembrance of their prime minister.

This will include the closure of government departments and ministries for a period of three days. Flags will also be flown at half-mast.

During his long period in office, Prince Khalifa was a controversial figure. The director at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei commented: “Sheikh Khalifa leaves behind a sordid legacy of abuse of power."

Mr Ahmed Alwadaei said the prime minister was the “mastermind” behind the government's “brutal repression” in the 1990s and later during the 2011 uprising. 

He was particularly unpopular with the country’s Shiite majority. In 2011, Shiite protesters occupied Pearl Square, in Manama, for a month. Their main demand during the protest was that he should give up his position as prime minister.

Mr Ahmed Alwadaei added that Prince Khalifa: "amassed a personal empire, partially through the theft of public land.” 

The U.S. Embassy in Manama also had suspicions about Prince Khalifa. It wrote that the prince had “off-the-books access to income from the state-owned enterprises” such as the Bahrain Petroleum Co. and Aluminum Bahrain, the country’s aluminum producer. 

Prince Khalifa’s health grew increasingly worse from November 2015, when he was admitted to hospital. He also travelled to southeast Asia and Germany for undisclosed medical treatments. 

His body is waiting to be transported back to Bahrain, from the United States, and will be buried on its return. The funeral is expected to be limited to only a few relatives, due to coronavirus restrictions.  

Prince Khalifa was married and leaves behind three surviving children, two sons Ali and Salman and a daughter Lulwa. Another of his sons, Mohammed, died previously.