Kuwait’s parliament on Tuesday voted the country’s ailing ruler out of office, marking the first time a ruler from the Gulf’s dynastic autocracies has been deposed by constitutional means.
The unanimous vote to remove Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah was taken on the grounds of his poor health, said Jassem al-Kharafi, seaker of parliament in the Gulf state.
“After listening to the medical report (on Sheikh Saad’s health), the assembly with its 65 members agreed to remove him from the post of emir,” Mr Kharafi said.
The Kuwait Cabinet moved swiftly to fill the post, naming Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, prime minister, to take over as emir, the justice minister said.