Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, has died aged 84, the royal palace of Bahrain announced on the morning of Wednesday, November 11.

Al-Khalifa was the country’s head of government since 1970, being the first Prime Minister in the world to hold the docket for many years.

He passed away at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States of America, according to the Bahrain News Agency.

Bahrain is expected to enter a week of official mourning during which flags will be flown at half-mast.

Additionally, Bahrain King has ordered that the government ministries and departments will remain closed for three days starting November 12.

Sheikh Khalifa received his first official appointment in 1954 as a member of a government committee to solve rent disputes. Upon returning from Britain, where he took an English language course in 1957, he was appointed president of the Education Council.

In the following three years he combined this role with several other official supervisory positions.

Between 1960 and 1966 Khalifa was president of the Finance Directorate of the government of Bahrain.

Following Bahrain's declaration of independence on 15 August 1971, Khalifa was appointed the country's first prime minister—a position he has held ever since.

Khalifa has also held other key posts including the presidencies of the Bahrain Monetary Board, the Scientific Council, the Supreme Defence Council, the Supreme Oil Council, the Civil Service Board, and the Supreme Economic Development Council.