Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah
Emir of Kuwait
Reign	29 January 2006 – present
Predecessor	Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah
Heir presumptive	Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Prime Ministers	See list Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Born	(1929-06-16) 16 June 1929 Kuwait City, Kuwait
Spouse	Fatuwah bint Salman Al-Sabah (Died 1990)
Issue	Sheikh Nasser Sheikh Hamad Sheikh Ahmed (deceased) Sheikha Salwa (deceased)
House	House of Al-Sabah
Father	Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Mother	Munira Al-Ayyar
Religion	Islam

Sheikh Sabah IV Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah GCB (Hon) (Arabic: الشيخ صباح الأحمد الجابر الصباح born 16 June 1929) is the 15th Ruler and 5th Emir of Kuwait and the Commander of the Military of Kuwait. He was sworn in on 29 January 2006 after confirmation by the National Assembly of Kuwait. He is the fourth son of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Early life

Al-Sabah was born on 16 June 1929. He received primary education at Al Mubarakya School during the 1930s and then completed his education under tutors. He is the half-brother of the previous Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who appointed Sabah as Prime Minister in July 2003, replacing the then Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. He had previously been Foreign Minister for 40 years, from 1963 to 2003, making him one of the longest-serving foreign ministers in the world.

Foreign minister of Kuwait

Prior to being the Emir of Kuwait, Sabah was the Foreign Minister of Kuwait between 1963 and 2003. During Sabah's time as Foreign Minister, he had to restore Kuwaiti international relations after the Gulf War. Sabah was a pillar in the restoring the country after the Iraqi Invasion.

He was also first Deputy Prime Ministers of Kuwait while serving as Foreign Minister.

Reign

Dynastic crisis of January 2006

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney meets with Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah to deliver condolences on the death of the Emir in 2006.

On 15 January 2006 the emir, Sheikh Jaber, died, making Sheikh Saad, Crown Prince of Kuwait, the new emir. With the accession of Sheikh Saad, Sabah was likely to become the new Crown Prince, retaining his function of Prime Minister. However, the Constitution requires that the Emir be sworn in before Parliament, and the oath of office is complex; soon the word began to spread that Sheikh Saad was unable to take the oath in full. Some reports suggested that he suffered from Alzheimer's disease or some other debilitating disease; it was generally agreed that he was unable to speak, at least at any length. After a power struggle within the ruling family, Sheikh Saad agreed to abdicate as the Emir of Kuwait on 23 January 2006 due to his illness. The ruling family then chose Sheikh Sabah as the new Emir of Kuwait. On 24 January 2006, Kuwait’s parliament voted Emir Saad out of office, moments before an official letter of abdication was received. The Kuwaiti Cabinet nominated Al-Sabah to take over as emir. He swore in on 29 January 2006 with the National Assembly's approval, ending that crisis.

Government crisis of March 2008

Al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly of Kuwait on 19 March 2008 and called for early elections on 17 May 2008, after the cabinet resigned in the week of 17 March 2008 following a power struggle with the government.

2012 parliamentary suspension

A struggle broke out between the government and parliament in 2012; he consequently dissolved the parliament.

Significant laws passed during his reign

• An increase of his stipend from 8 million KD (approximately $25 million) to 50 million KD (approximately $188 million) annually
• A media law said to be one of the strongest laws protecting press freedom in the Arab world

Other positions held

• Member of the Central Committee Municipality Council from 1954 to 1955.
• Member of the Building and Construction council.
• Chairman of the Social Affairs and Labour Authority in 1955.
• Member of the Higher Council of Country Affairs in 1956.
• Chairman of the Printing and Publishing Authority from 9 September 1956 to 17 January 1962
• Minister of Information - in the first cabinet that took power after independence in the period of Sheikh Abdullah Salim Al-Sabah, on 17 January 1962.
• Foreign Minister since 28 January 1963.
• Deputy Prime Minister on 16 February 1978 in addition to his post of Foreign Minister.
• First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister on 18 October 1992.
• Member of the Supreme Council of Planning in 1996, headed by the Crown Prince Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah.
• Chairman of the Cabinet's Joint Ministerial Committee on Priorities of Governmental Work.
• Prime Ministers of Kuwait from 13 July 2003 to 29 January 2006.
• Honorary Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

Titles, styles and honours

Styles of The 15th Ruler and 5th Emir of Kuwait (2006-present)
Reference style	His Highness
Spoken style	Your Highness
Alternative style	Sheikh

Styles of Office of the Prime Minister of Kuwait (2003-2006)
Reference style	His Highness
Spoken style	Your Highness
Alternative style	Sheikh

Styles of Office of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1963-2003)
Reference style	His Excellency
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Alternative style	Sheikh

Titles and styles

• 16 June 1929 – 13 July 2003: His Excellency Sheikh Sabah bin Ahmad Al-Sabah
• 13 July 2003 – 30 January 2006: His Highness Sheikh Sabah bin Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait
• 30 January 2006 – present: His Highness Sheikh Sabah IV bin Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait

Honours and awards

Kuwait National Honours

• :
  • Sovereign Grand Master of the Order of Mubarak the Great.
  • Sovereign Grand Master of the Order of Kuwait.
  • Sovereign Grand Master of the Order of National Defense.
  • Sovereign Grand Master of the Military Duty Order.

Foreign Honors

• United Nations Humanitarian Leadership (9 September 2014)
• Distinguished First Class of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud (2 July 2000)
• First Class of the Order of Merit (10 July 2002)
• Collar of Abdulaziz al Saud (11 March 2006)
• Collar of the Order of Khalifa (12 March 2006)
• Collar of Independence (12 March 2006)
• Order of Zayed (13 March 2006)
• Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (1 December 2006)
• Grand Order of Mugunghwa (25 March 2007)
• Honorary Citizen of Tirana, Albania (12 April 2008)
• Extraordinary Grade of the Lebanese Order of Merit (20 January 2009)
• Heydar Aliyev Order (2009)
• First Class of the Order of Merit (24 June 2009)
• First Class the Civil Order of Oman (28 December 2009)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (26 April 2010)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of Civil Merit (16 May 2010)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan (17 May 2010)
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (27 April 2010)
• Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Cedar (18 May 2010)
• Order of the Liberator General San Martín (16 Jan 2011)
• Order of the Chrysanthemum (March 2012)
• Order of Lakandula (March 2012)
• Honorary doctorate in Law from the George Washington University (30 June 2005)
• Albania: Skanderbeg's Order (Decorated by President of Albania Bamir Topi on 27 May 2012)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) - (Decorated by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 27 November 2012)
• Collar of the Order of Civil Merit (23/05/2008)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

16. Sabah II Al-Sabah               8. Mubarak Al-Sabah                       17. Lulwa bint Muhammad Al-Thaqib               4. Jaber II Al-Sabah                             18. Duaij bin Jabir Al-'Ali Al-Sabah               9. Shekha bint Duaij Al-Sabah                       19. Asma bint Salman Al-Sabah               2. Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah                                   20. Sabah II Al-Sabah (= 16)               10. Abdullah II Al-Sabah                       21. Fatma bint Salim Al-Jarrah               5. Shekha bint Abdullah II Al-Sabah                             22. Jasim bin Sulaiman               11. Latifa bint Jasim                       1. Sabah IV                                         3. Munira Al-Ayyar

Personal life

Al-Sabah's wife, Sheikha Fatuwah bint Salman Al-Sabah, died before 2 August 1990. She was a first cousin of his father, Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He has two sons, Sheikh Nasser (Minister of the Ruler's Court "Diwan Amiri"), and Sheikh Hamed. Sheikh Sabah also had two other children who died. His daughter, Sheikha Salwa, died from breast cancer on 23 June 2002 in London. The Emir named his palace "Dar Salwa" (the House of Salwa) after her. His fourth son, Sheikh Ahmed, died in a car accident in 1969.

The Emir enjoys fishing and travels to Oman frequently (Salalah in the Dhofar Governorate to be exact) where he owns a small island and goes fishing for leisure. He shies away from areas where there is a lot of glamour preferring instead areas where he can keep a low profile. Al-Sabah also frequented Somalia to hunt, and after the political turmoil, he still continues.

See also

• House of Al-Sabah
• Flag of Kuwait

External links

• Al-Diwan Al-Amiri - the official website of the office of the Emir

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah House of Sabah Born: 16 June 1929
Regnal titles
Preceded by Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah	Emir of Kuwait 2006–present	Incumbent Heir apparent: Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Political offices
Preceded by Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah	Prime Minister of Kuwait 13 July 2003 – 29 January 2006	Succeeded by Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah