Kuwait's
sick emir ousted from office, new emir named
AFP/File/Yasser
al-Zayyat
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah at the parliament
in Kuwait City. Kuwait's cabinet named Sheikh Sabah as new emir
of the oil-rich nation, hours after parliament voted
the state's ruler out of office on health grounds.
By
Omar
Hasan
AFP
KUWAIT
CITY
Petroleumworld.com 01 25 06
Kuwait's cabinet named Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah
as new emir of the oil-rich nation Tuesday, hours after parliament
voted the state's ruler out of office on health grounds.
Sheikh Sabah, 76, is due to take the oath of office in parliament
next week, concluding one of the gravest crises in the Arab Gulf
state's history that saw Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah deposed
after barely a week in power.
"The council of ministers named Sheikh Sabah emir of the
country, and this nomination will be referred to the National
Assembly (parliament)," for confirmation in line with Kuwaiti
law, Justice Minister Ahmad Baqer told AFP following an emergency
cabinet meeting.
Information Minister Anas al-Rashid also said Sheikh Sabah was
nominated as "successor to the 14th emir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah
Al-Sabah."
Baqer said the swearing-in will take place either Sunday or Monday.
In a day of high drama, parliament completed the ousting of the
emir just before a long-awaited letter of abdication from the
ruler was brought to the chamber by his son.
The parliament transferred his powers temporarily to the government.
"In the absence of a crown prince, the council of ministers
will exercise the functions of head of state pending the choice
of an emir, under article 4 of the constitution and article 4
of the inheritance law," said speaker Jassem al-Khorafi.
He said the vote, which was a first for the conservative Gulf
region, was taken after the house ascertained from a medical report
that Sheikh Saad's poor health did not enable him to rule.
"Members of parliament voted unanimously to remove the emir
from office," said MP Mohammad Jassem al-Saqr, who said a
letter of abdication by Sheikh Saad was received immediately after
the vote.
Khorafi confirmed that the letter of abdication was received right
after the vote by all 65 members of parliament, who include 16
cabinet ministers.
A two-thirds majority was needed to oust the emir.
During the session, Sheikh Sabah read a letter in which he praised
the "historical role" and the sacrifices of Sheikh Saad,
particularly during the 1990 Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait.
But Sheikh Saad's health "deteriorated ... and he lost the
capability of ... carrying out his constitutional duties.
"We did not want this (the emir's illness) to harm the top
position of the nation particularly, given the challenges facing
our country ... so we had to do the inevitable ... for the sake
of the country's higher interests," he said.
Parliament, which had initially put off the closed-door meeting
to allow more time for a voluntary abdication, was summoned by
the government to discuss deposing Sheikh Saad.
Officials said an 11th-hour meeting late Monday between Sheikh
Sabah and the head of the national guard, Sheikh Salem al-Ali
al-Sabah, who was the main supporter of Sheikh Saad, led to an
agreement on the emir's abdication.
"Sheikh Sabah is our Emir," Sheikh Salem said in remarks
published in Al-Qabas daily.
But the announcement of the abdication, initially expected early
Tuesday, failed to materialize before parliament's vote, mainly
because of opposition from Sheikh Saad's immediate family members,
according to sources close to the ruling family.
The vote came after a long day of wheeling and dealing in which
the parliamentary session was delayed twice on promises that the
abdication letter would be sent.
Sheikh Saad's son, Sheikh Fahd, eventually brought the letter
to parliament but only after the vote had been taken.
The government had been racing to pass the vote before another
session scheduled for Tuesday evening at which Sheikh Saad would
have taken the oath of office.
Sheikh Saad, 75, whose health has been deteriorating since he
underwent colon surgery in 1997, became emir after the death of
his predecessor, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 10 days ago.
Sheikh Sabah is a shrewd 76-year-old politician who has been running
day-to-day affairs for several years due to the ill health of
both the late emir and the then crown prince, Sheikh Saad.
Sheikh Sabah had the support of the overwhelming majority of the
Al-Sabah ruling family, the cabinet and the local media.
He briefed senior ruling family members Monday on government plans
to seek the emir's removal and received their backing. The meeting
was attended by leading figures of the Al-Sabah dynasty.
Kuwait sits on 10 percent of the world's proven oil reserves and
has a native population of just under one million, in addition
to 1.9 million foreigners.
AFP
01 24 06
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© 2006 AFP. All rights reserved
