Kuwait's royals: no strangers to overcoming turmoil

By Omar Hasan
AFP
KUWAIT CITY
Petroleumworld.com 01 23 06

Kuwait's ruling Al-Sabah family, split over attempts to remove its ailing emir, has experienced a number of crises in 250 years of rule but massive popular support has always ensured its survival.

The transfer of power in the oil-rich state has always been peaceful during the family's rule, with the exception of the assassination of the sixth Emir Mohammad al-Sabah in 1896 after a power struggle.

"Peaceful transfer of power has been a major feature of the ruling establishment in Kuwait," said political analyst Ismail al-Shatti in an article on the ruling family published Sunday in the newspaper Al-Watan.

With the exception of Mohammad al-Sabah's murder the "succession took place without a drop of blood throughout the family's history," he wrote.

The Kuwaiti cabinet, headed by powerful Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, has decided to initiate moves to remove Emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah on grounds of ill health unless he abdicates, barely a week after he became emir on the death of Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

Originating from the Najd region, now part of Saudi Arabia, the Al-Sabahs, a branch of the Enezi Arab tribe, are believed to have settled in Kuwait some 300 years ago, or even earlier, according to some historians.

Sabah I became the first ruler of Kuwait in the early 1750s, elected by a number of Bedouin tribes who lived in the desert state at the time.

Initially, Al-Sabah rulers bequeathed the throne to their elder sons, until 1896 when Mubarak al-Kabir came to power. Mubarak, who died in 1915, limited the throne to his descendants, rather than to all family members.

His son Jaber succeeded him until he died in 1917 and was followed by his brother Salem until 1921. Only male descendants of these two brothers have since assumed the ruler's post in Kuwait.

Descendants of Mubarak's three other sons -- Hamad, Nasser and Abdullah -- are also entitled to the top post under the Kuwaiti constitution.

The number of male descendants of Mubarak are currently estimated at around 400 out of more than 1,200 Al-Sabah men.

In 1921, family members elected Ahmad al-Jaber as emir out of three names proposed following a brief dispute on who should become ruler.

He was succeeded by the late Abdullah al-Salem, father of current Emir Sheikh Saad, in 1950.

Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem is considered by Kuwaitis as the father of the constitution and democracy, which were introduced during his rule in 1962.

A brief dispute broke out between Sheikh Abdullah and his uncle, Sheikh Abdullah al-Mubarak, who left Kuwait in protest and lost an opportunity to become emir.

He died in the mid-1990s.

Instead, Sheikh Salem al-Sabah was proclaimed emir in 1965 and ruled until his death on December 31, 1977 when Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah ascended to power as the 13th ruler of the oil-rich emirate.

Although the emir has the sole authority to appoint his crown prince, Sheikh Jaber called the family to elect one of three hopefuls: Sheikh Saad, the current emir; Sheikh Sabah, the prime minister tipped to replace ailing Sheikh Saad; and Sheikh Jaber al-Ali al-Sabah, who died in 1995.

The family elected Sheikh Saad who also became prime minister until 2003 when the two posts were split.

Prior to the discovery of oil that made Kuwait a wealthy state, members of the ruling family distanced themselves from business and were content to govern.

But as billions of petrodollars poured in, a large number of family members got involved in various types of businesses, some becoming tycoons.

The wealth of the ruling family is estimated at tens of billions of dollars.

AFP 01/22/06

Copyright © 2006 AFP. All rights reserved

 

 

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