Kuwait City – Kuwait’s ailing emir has agreed to abdicate under a deal worked out within the ruling family, a lawmaker said Monday – paving the way for the prime minister and longtime de facto ruler to take the reins of power.
The accord followed an unprecedented public quarrel within the ruling family over who would lead the country, one of Washington’s most steadfast allies in the Middle East and a major oil producer, after the death of its longtime leader.
One faction backed the ailing new emir, Sheik Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, and the other – including the Cabinet – supported the prime minister, half brother to the previous leader, who died Jan. 15.
The two camps met Monday night to try to reach a compromise before a parliament debate today over whether Sheik Saad should be ousted in favor of the prime minister, Sheik Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah.
As prime minister, Sheik Sabah has been running the day-to-day affairs of Kuwait since the longtime ruler, Sheik Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah, suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2001.
Sheik Jaber ruled for 27 years and had been restored to power by U.S. forces after Saddam Hussein invaded the country in 1990.
Both Sheik Saad and the prime minister are in their mid-70s – their exact ages are not known – but Sheik Sabah is the more fit of the two. He had a heart pacemaker implanted but otherwise is said to be in good health.
