Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait for 27 years, having lived through an assassination attempt, and an Iraqi invasion, died on Sunday 15th January. In actual fact, Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Sheikh Jaber's half brother had mostly been in control of the country, ever since Sheikh Jaber's suffered brain hemorrhage five years earlier. Immediately after Sheikh Jaber's death, the crown prince, Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, was named the new Emir, despite his own precarious health, which has been steadily deteriorating since he underwent colon surgery in 1997.

Five days later, in a virtually unheard-of move in the Arabian Gulf, a newspaper called for the new Emir to abdicate and pass on the ruling responsibilities to another member of the ruling family, "who is able to carry them out". The very same day, a number of members from the ruling family called on the Prime Minister to take control of the country, because of the new Emir's ill health. The Cabinet issued a statement, expressing deep sorrow over the health of Sheikh Saad, and therefore "decided to invoke constitutional procedures under article three of the 1964 succession law." This law allowed them to take the matter of the ruler to parliament, if the Emir "loses the physical ability to perform his duties".

Sheikh Saad responded to this by insisting that he still wanted to become Emir, and asked for a parliamentary session for him to take his oath. The Cabinet then sent a letter to the parliament saying that the Council of Ministers all agreed that the "His Highness Emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah has lost his health capability to exercise his constitutional prerogatives". The Speaker agreed and called a special session of parliament.

Late Monday, the news leaked out that Sheikh Salem al-Ali al-Sabah, cousin and long time supporter of Sheikh Saad as well as head of the national guard, had met and discussed the political crisis with Sheikh Saad, leading to an agreement on Shiekh Saad's behalf that he would step down from the throne. By mid-Tuesday though, parliament had received no confirmation from Shiekh Saad that he would in fact abdicate, despite delaying the session twice, in the hope that the letter of abdication would arrive.

Finally after the long wait without any sign of the letter of abdication, parliament went into session, and voted unanimously to remove Sheikh Saad from office, 10 days after he had taken it, and briefly took control into their own hands, before naming Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah as new Emir of the country, ending the political crisis. The vote was the first of its kind for the Gulf. The Speaker of the Parliament, Sheikh Jassem al-Kharafi then confirmed the news that Sheikh Saad's letter of abdication was received by parliament, immediately after the vote had taken place.

That concluded a week of heavy political drama in the Arabian country that holds about 10% of the world's proven oil reserves, and it was the first time any parliament has ever removed a hereditary head of state from office in the Gulf through the power granted them under a national constitution.