Kuwait cabinet asks parliament to remove ailing emir

Agence France Presse | January 23, 2006

[HAL9000]

The Kuwaiti government has submitted a letter to parliament to start constitutional procedures to remove the oil-rich state's ailing emir, parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi told AFP Monday.

"Yes, I received the letter," said Khorafi, who declined to give further details.

Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah became emir on the death of his predecessor last Sunday.

[Daaave]

"Kuwait's emergence as an independent political entity dates back more than 380 years ago, to 1613."

Kuwait history

[SkyPilot]

I thought he died already, or is this another old guy.

[Cheburashka]

I thought he died already, or is this another old guy.
---
The one who died recently was the Emir since before the Iraqi invasion.
This is the crown prince, now the Emir.
The succession is complicated by the fact that in Kuwait they alternate between two branches of the ruling family. The present Emir was designated many years ago, and it wasn't expected that his health would be so bad when he came to the throne. He apparently isn't healthy enough to even take the oath required by the constitution. So he hasn't really had a chance to rule.
So if they depose him, who becomes the next Emir? Someone from his branch of the family, or the other? No matter what you do one or the other branch of the family is going to feel they got the short end of the stick.