KUWAIT CITY:  The Kuwaiti cabinet has declared Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as the new Emir of Kuwait.

He succeeded the throne following the death of Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Saturday at 86, Xinhua news agency reported.

Issa Al-Kandari, Kuwait's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, said in a statement that the cabinet announcement came "in accordance with the constitution and Article 4 of Law No. 4 of 1964".

In the statement broadcasted on state TV, Al-Kandari announced a 40-day mourning period to commemorate the passing of Emir Nawaf, the 16th Emir of Kuwait.