Kuwaiti Prime Minister ‘Sabah Al-Ahmad ‘Sabah is mobilizing members of the royal family to support him in his demand to replace the late emir, who died last week.
During the past few years, following the illness of the Kuwaiti Emir Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir ‘Sabah, the prime minister has been the actual leader of Kuwait.
Nevertheless, a distant relative of the emir, Sa’ad Al-‘Abdullah A-Salim A-‘Sabah, was named years ago as the crown prince. The crown prince, however, is seriously ill himself, and there are doubts as to his capability to hold the position of emir.
Over the weekend, the crown prince sent a letter to Kuwait’s National Assembly, requesting that they hold an emergency meeting so he can take the constitutional oath.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Cabinet decided on Saturday to resort to article three of the law for the succession of emirate leadership, relevant to the conditions required for the emir to carry out his prerogatives under the Constitution, reported the official news agency KUNA. Speaking following the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad ‘Daifullah Sharar said the Cabinet expressed its deep concern over the health of the crown prince.
According to Kuwaiti law, if the emir is incapable of carrying out his prerogatives for health reasons, the Cabinet must present the issue before the National Assembly.
A highly-placed governmental source told KUNA, “We have completed all Constitutional measures to inform the Parliament of the inability of His Highness the Emir to manage the affairs of the nation because of his health condition. The Cabinet will Sunday send a request to the Parliament on this issue according to the Constitution.”