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Kuwaiti Cabinet Takes Steps to Remove Ailing Emir
KUWAIT CITY, 22 January 2006 — Kuwait’s Cabinet yesterday initiated constitutional procedures to remove the ailing Emir Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Sabah just days after he was appointed leader following the death of long-serving Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The emir has however sent a letter to Parliament Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi requesting a house session during which he would be sworn in as ruler.

A statement issued by the Cabinet following an extraordinary session held yesterday said it was taking the constitutional move because of the poor health of the emir. “The Cabinet expresses its deep sorrow...over the health of his highness the emir, Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Sabah, and it has therefore decided to invoke constitutional procedures under Article 3 of the 1964 Succession Law,” said the statement.

Article 3 stipulates that if the emir fails to meet, for health or other reasons, constitutional conditions set down for him to fulfill his duties, the Cabinet, after establishing this, must present the issue before Parliament within a closed-door session. The Parliament in turn could then decide by a two-thirds majority vote to transfer the emir’s duties temporarily to the crown prince, or transfer state leadership to him permanently.
"You can't transfer power! The Emir is still capable of drooling on his own!"
House Speaker Al-Khorafi yesterday told a press conference at the Parliament that he had not yet been apprised by the Cabinet of its decision but that he did indeed receive the letter from the emir requesting that he be sworn in before the house, and that constitutional experts were assigned to study the matter. “Yes, I received a letter from his highness the emir, Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, on allocating a special National Assembly session for taking the constitutional oath,” he said.

He said he had been assigned to meet with the emir, and hoped the meeting would take place as soon as possible.
"Nurse! He's doing it again!"
Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad called the extraordinary Cabinet meeting yesterday to continue addressing leadership succession issues one day after a large gathering of Al-Sabah elders reaffirmed their confidence in him to continue running the day-to-day affairs of the country in light of the newly-appointed emir’s bad health. He accepted the responsibility as de-facto ruler under Sheikh Saad Abdullah.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-01-22
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=140464