Alwaght- On Saturday, the power in Kuwait was transferred automatically to the crown prince in the 4.5 million populated Persian Gulf Arab emirate after the death of its emir. The royal court on Saturday announced the death of Sheikh Nawaf Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at age of 86. He died of disease, the royal court said. Sheikh Nawaf had held the post since 2020 and his heir Sheikh Mashal Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was announced as his successor.
This smooth power transition took place in accordance with the Kuwaiti constitution. Since the declaration of Kuwait’s independence from Britain in 1961, Kuwaitis have changed their constitution several times. The constitution of this Arab emirate was approved on November 11, 1962, in which the state of Kuwait is described as a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament and freedom of press and opinion.
Kuwait’s government system
Kuwait is a hereditary emirate where power is limited to princes from the descendants of Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah. Kuwait’s governing system is parliamentary represented by the National Assembly, and this characteristic has made Kuwait’s political system different from other monarchies in the south of the Persian Gulf. Article 6 of Kuwait’s constitution states that “the government system in Kuwait is democratic and the sovereignty belongs to the nation, which is the source of all power.” The constitution also states that the emir “is the head of state and his person is not immune to supervision.”
According to Article 60, before exercising his powers, the emir takes an oath in a special meeting of the National Council and says: “I swear to the Almighty God that I will respect the Constitution and the laws of the country, defend the Constitution and protect the freedoms, interests and economy of the people, and the independence of the nation and territorial integrity.”
The emir is the head of state and has many high powers in the legislative, executive and judicial fields, which are shared with the relevant organizations. The cabinet is represented by the emir and the Council of Ministers, which consists of 16 ministers, and the constitution stipulates that the number of ministers should not exceed one-third of the number of elected members of the parliament, namely 16 ministers.
The constitution also gives the emir the right to appoint a prime minister, so that the prime minister appoints the cabinet ministers. At the same time, the prime minister’s cabinet does not need vote of confidence of the National Assembly, and the approval of the emir is enough for it to start functioning.
In the past, the Council of Ministers was headed by the crown prince, but on July 13, 2003, the constitution was reformed and the prime minister became the head of the Council of Ministers.
The National Assembly, of 50 members, is elected in general elections for four years. However, a number of its members are appointed by the emir.
Kuwait’s judicial system consists of Supreme Court and judiciary.
The constitution sets some conditions for emir to be eligible for ruling: Being healthy, Muslim, and legitimate child of Muslim parents.
If emir lacks each of these conditions, the Council of Ministers should immediately address the case in a secret session and present the result to the National Assembly.
The emir also has deputies who perform in his absence. He also has a crown prince who in the extraordinary session of the National Assembly’s session takes the oath of royalty to emir according to Article 60 of constitution.
If the post of emir becomes vacant, the crown prince is named emir, but if the crown prince has not yet been appointed, the Council of Ministers takes over the powers of the emir to head the government, and then a new emir will be appointed. In 2006, after the death of emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah who was prime minister but not the crown prince was appointed new emir by the National Assembly. At the same time, according to Article 4 of constitution, the crown prince must be appointed within a maximum period of one year after the start of the new emir’s work.” The appointment of the crown prince will be by the order of the emir and based on the recommendation of the emir and the swearing the allegiance of the National Assembly.
Should the emir name no crown prince within a year, he should name at least three prince’s of the house of Mubarak Al-Sabah to the National Assembly and the latter should swear allegiance to one of them as a crown prince. To be eligible for the post, the crown prince candidate should have the conditions of the emir, namely healthy, Muslim, and legitimate child of Muslim parents.
Sheikh Nawaf’s track record
The late Emir Sheikh Nawaf led the country through one of the most difficult economic crises. In 2021, he managed to hold a national dialogue, bringing together the cabinet and the parliament.
During the three years of Sheikh Nawaf’s rule, Kuwait signed many political, military, and economic deals.
Sheikh Nawaf was named crown prince in 2006 and succeeded his half-brother Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 2020, who died in September of the same year at the age of 91.
He led the country’s economy during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the slump in oil prices, and the downgrading of Kuwait’s economic rating by rating agencies.
Born in 1937, Sheikh Nawaf was the fifth son of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the late ruler who ruled Kuwait from 1921 until his death in 1950.
Among the most prominent positions that Sheikh Nawaf held during his career was the position of crown prince in 2006 for about 14 years, and before that the position of first deputy prime minister and minister of interior on October 16, 2003. He also held the positions of minister of defense and minister of interior during his life.
Sheikh Nawaf was successful at home politics. In September 2021, he held national dialogue with the presence of the government and the parliament to set the context for national unity and cooperation among all political forces. He was also willing to pardon all who were handed prison terms.
Regionally, Sheikh Nawaf was committed to the path of his predecessor for continuation of mediation for the inter-Persian Gulf Cooperation Council unity. His efforts reached their peak when Saudi Arabia and Qatar reconciled in 2021.
Economically, the latest agreements were signed with China in September during a visit of the crown prince to the Asian economic heavyweight. The agreements included work on power generation through renewable energies and also construction of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port.
Militarily, under Sheikh Nawaf, the country directly talked with Turkey to buy Bayraktar TB2 drones. The deal, signed in June, is worth $367 million and is aimed at helping Kuwait enhance its defense capabilities.
