Kuwait's parliament on Thursday endorsed Sheikh Mishaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah as crown prince after the new emir named him on Wednesday, the parliament said on its Twitter page. 

Sheikh Mishaal, 80, has been deputy chief of the Kuwait National Guard since 2004, largely staying out of the political scene and away from disputes within the royal family. 

The Sabah ruling family "blessed" 83-year-old Sheikh Nawaf's decision, the official Kuwait News Agency said Wednesday, a day ahead of a parliamentary session to approve the choice. 

Unlike other Gulf states, Kuwait has a lively political life with an elected parliament that enjoys broad legislative powers and can vote ministers out of office. 

Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in on September 30 after the death of his half-brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who died at the age of 91 after two months in a U.S. hospital.

The succession comes at a time when the oil-rich country is grappling with the hot topics of whether to establish ties with Israel and how to respond to a slump in oil prices amid the novel coronavirus crisis. 

Sheikh Mishaal, who was close to the late ruler and accompanied him to the U.S., where he received treatment, is the seventh son of the 10th emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 

He is considered the most powerful man in the National Guard – an elite corps in charge of defending the emirate's territory. 

The position of chief is symbolically held by Salem al-Ali Al-Sabah, the eldest member of the Sabah ruling family. 

Sheikh Mishaal spent many years in the interior ministry, where he rose through the ranks to head the department of general investigation from 1967 until 1980 and was credited with strengthening its function as a state security service. 

(With input from AFP)

(Cover: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) speaks with Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah in Kuwait. /AFP)