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While the succession of Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah to the
position of Emir of Kuwait, on the death of his predecessor and cousin,
Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah on January 15, 2006, was predictable, the
circumstances surrounding his abdication a mere nine days later were
unprecedented. As Crown Prince since 1978, Sheikh Saad’s assumption of the
Kuwaiti throne as the 14th Emir was the constitutional norm, but the
decision to remove him from power by the Kuwaiti National Assembly
(Parliament) — the first elected parliament formed in any Gulf Arab state —
was unique.

Leader of Kuwait’s government-in-exile during the Iraqi occupation.