Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, 1935–2020, Bahraini political leader, prime minister (1971–2020). A member of the Sunni ruling family, he was the brother of Sheikh Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who ruled from 1961, and the uncle of Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, who succeeded in 1999. He served as president of the finance directorate (1960–66) and chairman of the administrative council (1966–71) before becoming prime minister. Responsible for overseeing the government and the economy, he was influential in modernizing the country, but also took a hard line with pro-democracy demonstrators and opposition political groups, especially those advocating for Bahrain's Shia majority.
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