(Bloomberg) -- Kuwait’s ruler Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a seasoned diplomat who tried to heal rifts between feuding Gulf states and rebuilt ties with former foe Iraq, has died. He was 91.

According to the constitution, the emir should be succeeded by Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a half brother who has served as interior minister and deputy chief of the national guard. Sheikh Nawaf has been acting emir since Sheikh Sabah left Kuwait for treatment in the U.S.

The energy-dependent monarchy, whose 1.4 million citizens are among the world’s wealthiest by average per capita income, is home to about 8.5% of global oil reserves, according to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Oil and gas account for about 40% of Kuwait’s economic output and more than 90% of export revenues.

As foreign minister for more than 40 years, Sheikh Sabah sought to make Kuwait a regional power broker by mediating intra-Arab disputes, maintaining strong ties with the U.S. and U.K., and rebuilding relations with Iraq after the fall of President Saddam Hussein, who had invaded Kuwait in August 1990. At home, he on occasion dismissed parliament, entrenching a struggle with the legislature that often led to political and economic stalemate.

The death of the emir could reopen debates over the nation’s political system, according to Shafeeq Ghabra, a political science professor at Kuwait University. Democracy watchdog Freedom House categorizes Kuwait as “partly free,” citing constraints on freedom of speech and assembly while noting that it has an elected parliament that often challenges the government.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.