Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
| His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | |
|---|---|
| Emir of Kuwait | |
 | |
| Reign | January 29, 2006 - Present |
| Predecessor | Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah |
| Heir-Apparent | ? |
| Issue | Sheikh Nasser Sheikh Hamed |
| House | Al-Sabah Ruling Family |
| Father | Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah |
| Mother | Munira Al-Ayar |
His Highness Sheikh Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (Arabic: صباح الأحمد الجابر الصباح Sabāh al-Ahmad al-Jābir as-Sabāh; born 1929) is the Emir of Kuwait. He was sworn in on January 29, 2006 after confirmation by the National Assembly of Kuwait. He is the fourth son of the late Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a former Emir of Kuwait. He is the head of the Ruling Al-Sabah family.
He received his primary education at Al Mubarakya School during the 1930s and then completed his education under tutors. He is the half-brother of the previous Emir, HH Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who appointed him Prime Minister in July 2003, replacing then Crown Prince HH Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah. He had previously been Foreign Minister for 40 years, from 1963 to 2003, making him one of the longest-serving foreign ministers in the world.
HH Sheikh Sabah is a widower. His wife, Sheikha Fitooh, died before the Iraqi invasion of August 1990. He has two sons, Sheikh Nasser (Minister of the Ruler's Court "Diwan Amiri"), and Sheikh Hamed. Sheikh Sabah also has two other children who have died. His daughter, Sheikha Salwa, died from breast cancer in July 2002. The Emir loved his daughter so much that he named his palace "Dar Salwa" which means "The Palace Of Salwa" in honour of her. Sheikh Ahmed died as a teenager in a car accident in 1969.
His Highness Sheikh Sabah's hobbies are photography and fishing.
He has also held a number of other positions, including:
- Member of the Central Committee Municipality Council from 1954 to 1955.
- Member of the Building and Construction council.
- Chairman of the Social Affairs and Labour Authority in 1955.
- Member of the Higher Council of Country Affairs in 1956.
- Chairman of the Printing and Publishing Authority from 1956-09-09 to 1962-01-17.
- Minister of Information - in the first cabinet that took power after independence in the period of the late Sheikh Abdullah Salim Al-Sabah, on January 17, 1962.
- Foreign Minister since 28 January, 1963.
- Deputy Prime Minister on February 16, 1978 in addition to his post of Foreign Minister.
- First Deputy Prime minister and Foreign Minister on October 18, 1992.
- Member of the Supreme Council of Planning in 1996, headed by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah.
- Chairman of the Cabinet's Joint Ministerial Committee on Priorities of Governmental Work.
- Prime Minister from July 13, 2003 to January 29, 2006.
Dynastic crisis of January 2006
On January 15, 2006 Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah died, which placed Sheikh Saad, who was then the crown prince, into the position of Emir. With the accession of Sheikh Saad, he was likely to become the new Crown Prince, retaining his function of Prime Minister. However, the Constitution requires that the Emir be sworn in before Parliament, and the oath of office is complex; soon the word began to spread that Sheikh Saad was unable to take the oath in full. Some reports suggested that he suffers from Alzheimers or some other debilitating disease; it seems generally agreed that he was unable to speak, at least at any length[1]. However, after a power struggle within the ruling family, Sheikh Saad Al Abdallah Al Salem Al Sabah agreed to abdicate as the new Emir of Kuwait on 23 January 2006 due to his illness. The ruling family then chose HH Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad as the new Emir of Kuwait. On January 24 2006, Kuwait’s parliament voted Emir Saad out of office, moments before an official letter of abdication was received[2]. The Kuwaiti Cabinet nominated Sheikh Sabah to take over as emir. He swore himself in on January 29, 2006 with the National Assembly's approval, ending that crisis.
Government crisis of March 2008
Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly of Kuwait on March 19 2008 and called for early elections on May 17 2008, after the Cabinet resigned in the week of March 17 2008 following a power struggle with the government.[3]
Significant laws passed during his reign
- Women's suffrage (Kuwait currently has one female cabinet minister, but no women won seats in the last parliamentary elections).
- Repeal of law against public gatherings.
- A law increasing the amount of licenses available for privately held newspapers and television stations.
- An increase of the ruling family's stipend from 8 million KD (approximately $25 million) to 50 million KD (approximately $171 million) annually.
- A new media law that is one of the strongest press freedom laws in the Arab world.[4] [5]
See also
References
- ^ The Estimate: The Kuwait Succession Crisis and the New Leadership, retrieved on Dec 7, 2006
- ^ CNN.com: PM set to become new Kuwait emir, retrieved on Dec 7, 2006
- ^ CNN.com: Emir steps in to stem Kuwait's conflict, retrieved on Mar 19, 2008
- ^ Washington post
- ^ Arab Times