MANAMA, 11 November 2020 (TON): Bahrain’s Prince Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa, who had held the post since independence in 1971, had been died at the age of 84 while, receiving treatment at Mayo Clinic, state TV reported without specifying a cause of death.

Sheikh Khalifa was one of the world’s longest-serving prime ministers who held the post since Bahrain’s independence in 1971.

According to the state news agency “The Gulf state’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced official mourning for a week during which flags will be flown at half-mast.”

It added “The burial ceremony will take place upon the repatriation of his body and the funeral will be limited to a specific number of relatives.”

Sheikh Khalifa was one of the world’s longest-serving prime ministers who held the post since Bahrain’s independence in 1971 and survived the 2011 Arab Spring protests that demanded his removal over corruption allegations.

“Khalifa bin Salman represented the old guard in more ways than just age and seniority,” said Kristin Smith Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Washington-based Arab Gulf States Institute.

“He represented an old social understanding rooted in royal privilege and expressed through personal patronage.”

The son of Bahrain’s former ruler, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who ruled from 1942 to 1961, Sheikh Khalifa learned governance at his father’s side as the island remained a British protectorate.

Though, less powerful in recent years as he faced unexplained health problems yet, his machinations still drew attention in the kingdom as a new generation now jostles for power.