From Sheikh Sabah I to Nawaf: A saga of leadership and legacy in Kuwait

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KUWAIT CITY, Dec 20: With the passing away of Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait bid farewell to its 16th Amir in 267 years since the first ruler from the Al-Sabah family assumed the reins of power in 1756, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

According to the Constitution, the Council of Ministers of Kuwait called on the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to be the 17th Amir of the country. Sheikh Sabah bin Jaber Al-Sabah, who was born at the beginning of the 18th century, is considered the first ruler of the Al-Sabah family in Kuwait. He assumed power after a tribal alliance during the period from 1756 to 1776.

Sheikh Sabah bin Jaber was the first ruler of Kuwait, and with him began the political history of the Al-Sabah family, which has held the emirate of Kuwait since 1756. The emirate continued in his descendants, passing through Sheikh Mubarak Al-Kabeer (the 7th ruler who ruled from 1896 to 1915), who is considered the true founder of the state.

Abdullah Al-Salem… Independence and the Constitution

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the 11th ruler of Kuwait, assumed the reins of power on February 25, 1950 and ruled the country until his death on November 24, 1965.

On June 19, 1961, Kuwait gained its independence from Britain. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem was the one who signed the Declaration of Independence with the British High Commissioner in the Arabian Gulf Sir George Middleton on behalf of the government of Kuwait.

He cancelled the agreement signed by Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, the 7th ruler of Kuwait, with Britain on January 23, 1899, to protect it from foreign ambitions.

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the man of independence, established the parliamentary system of the state. During his reign, the constitution was approved, and the current constitution was issued after independence on November 11, 1962.

It officially came into effect on January 29, 1963, although Kuwait witnessed an active political life before independence, including the issuance of the first written constitution and the Shura (consultation) Council in 1921, and an elected legislative council in 1938.

The Kuwaiti Constitution, which was approved in 1962 and continues to serve as the Constitution today, limited the names of the candidates to assume the emirate of Kuwait to the descendants of Mubarak Al-Sabah, as stipulated in the 1921 document, which was issued at the initiative of the people after the death of the 9th ruler of Kuwait Sheikh Salem bin Mubarak who ruled from 1917 to 1921.

According to the provisions of the Kuwait Constitution and the Emirate’s Succession Law, article 4 of the Constitution and Article 6 of the Emirate’s Succession Law specify that “he be a descendant of Mubarak Al-Sabah.”

This is a condition stipulated in the Constitution in Article 4. This article also stipulates that “If the position of the Amir becomes vacant, the Crown Prince will be named Amir.”

Article Four of the Constitution and Article One of the Emirate’s Succession Law stipulate that “Kuwait is a hereditary emirate of the descendants of Mubarak Al-Sabah.”

Article 4 of the Emirate’s Succession Law states that “if the position of the Amir becomes vacant, the Crown Prince will be named Amir.”

Article 60 of the Constitution stipulates that “The Amir shall, before exercising his powers, take the following oath in a special session of the National Assembly – I swear by Almighty Almighty to respect the Constitution and the laws of the State, defend the people’s freedoms, interests, and property, and safeguard the independence of the nation and the integrity of its lands.”

A total of 16 rulers from the Al-Sabah family have ruled Kuwait since Sabah bin Jaber Al-Sabah from 1756 until today –

Sheikh Sabah I: 1756
Sheikh Abdullah I Al-Sabah: 1762
Sheikh Jaber I bin Abdullah: 1812
Sheikh Sabah II bin Jaber: 1859
Sheikh Abdullah II bin Al-Sabah Al-Sabah: 1866
Sheikh Muhammad I bin Sabah Al-Sabah: 1892
Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah (Mubarak Al-Kabeer): 1896
Sheikh Jaber II Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah: 1915
Sheikh Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah: 1917
Sheikh Ahmed Al-Jaber: 1921
Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem: 1950
Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem: 1965
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah: 1977
Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah: 2006
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah: 2006
Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah: 2020

by Ahmed Al Essa
Alseyassah / Arab Times

This news has been read 5977 times!