New crown prince expected for Kuwait

Analysists on Wednesday expected that the current crisis the ruling family in Kuwait is passing would pressure the sick ruler of Kuwait to change his crown prince, who is also sick.

They added that the main candidates for this post is the current prime minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the ruler brother who has been running the daily affairs of the country since four years, because of the sickness of the ruler of Kuwait and his crown prince.

The former Kuwaiti oil minister Ali al-Baghli said he expects some positive changes and at least appointing a new crown prince.

According to the Kuwaiti constitution, the crown prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah ( 76 years old) is expected to be succeeded by his cousin Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah ( 77 years old). With the sickness of the Amir of Kuwait since a while and his crown prince since a longer time, pressures have increased on the ruling family in order to settle the issue of inheritance of rule in Kuwait.

Appointing Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad may raise unrest inside the ruling family because this contradicts traditions enacted to have an alternative leadership between two branches of al-Sabah family. The current prince and the prime minister is from Jaber branch whose children occupy several important ministerial posts.

Sheikh Sabah who is a renowned politician since the 1970s wins the respect of all because he had led some economic and political reforms since he had assumed his post in July 2003, including giving women political rights.