Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah Explained

Honorific Prefix:His Highness Sheikh
Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Office:Prime Minister of Kuwait
Deputy:Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Term Start:7 February 2006
Term End:28 November 2011
Predecessor:Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Successor:Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Office2:Minister of Amiri Diwan of Kuwait
(Head of the Ruler's Court)
Primeminister2:Saad Al-Abdullah
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Term Start2:10 September 1990
Term End2:12 February 2006
Predecessor2:Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Successor2:Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
Office3:Minister of Social Affairs
Primeminister3:Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah
Term Start3:11 January 1988
Term End3:9 March 1990
Predecessor3:Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Successor3:Jaber Abdullah
Birth Date:22 December 1940
Birth Place:Kuwait City, Sheikhdom of Kuwait
Alma Mater:University of Geneva
Native Name Lang:ar
Parents:Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Children:Sabah
Ahmad
Order:6th
Royal Name:Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Dipstyle:His Highness
Offstyle:Your Highness
Altstyle:Sheikh

Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (Arabic: الشيخ ناصر المحمد الأحمد الجابر الصباح|ash-Shaykh Nāṣir Muḥammad al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ, born 22 December 1940) is a Kuwaiti politician who served as Prime Minister of Kuwait from 7 February 2006 until resigning on 28 November 2011.

Early life

Sheikh Nasser was born on 22 December 1940 as the son of Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the first defense minister of Kuwait. He is a nephew of the former Emir of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.[1] [2] He attended high school in the United Kingdom and graduated in 1955.[1] Then, he received a higher diploma in the French language in 1960.[1]

Career

Nasser began his career as a third secretary at the foreign ministry in 1964.[1] He became a member of the permanent Kuwaiti delegation at the United Nations in New York in October 1964.[1] He then served as ambassador to Iran and Afghanistan, the minister of information, minister of social affairs and labour, minister of state for foreign affairs and minister of the Emiri Diwan. He became prime minister when Sabah Al Ahmad began to rule Kuwait in February 2006.[1]

Nasser resigned on 4 March 2007 in a move observers believe was aimed at avoiding a no-confidence motion against health minister Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah. Ten MPs presented the motion in February over suspected financial and administrative breaches at the ministry. The vote was due to have taken place in parliament on 5 March and Ahmad would have had to step down if legislators had voted against him. He was reappointed as prime minister on 6 March.

On 25 November, the cabinet resigned, and on 17 December the Emir reappointed Nasser as prime minister of the new cabinet.[3] In March 2009, the Kuwaiti Government submitted its resignation to the Emir of Kuwait after Islamist MPs requested a hearing of the P.M. On 9 May, after the election of the new Parliament, the Emir asked Nasser to form the Kuwaiti Government for the sixth consecutive time.

In January 2011, he survived a vote of no-confidence in parliament with a vote of 25–25 (26 were needed to bring down the Government).[4] In April 2011, his cabinet resigned due to a stand-off with parliament; he was reappointed on 6 April 2011 to form a new government, but he resigned again on 28 November 2011.[5] His resignation was accepted by the Emir and who appointed Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah as next prime minister on 4 December 2011.[5]

Personal life

He married Shahrazad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, with whom he has two children: Sabah and Ahmad [6]

Controversies

Dispute with Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah

In March 2011, MPs aligned with Nasser Al-Mohammed (Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Adel Al-Saraawi)[7] in Kuwait's National Assembly threatened to interpellate Ahmad Al-Fahad, then deputy prime minister, over misconduct in government contracts, leading to Ahmad's resignation from government in June 2011.[8] [9] [10]

Alleged payments to MPs

In August 2011, supporters of Ahmad Al-Fahad "discovered" documents that incriminated up to one-third of MPs in what quickly became the largest political corruption scandal in Kuwaiti history.[11] By October 2011, 16 MPs were alleged to have received payments of $350m in return for their support of government policy.

Alleged Payments through Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Also in October 2011, MP Musallam Al-Barrack, a close associate of Ahmad Al-Fahad, alleged that millions of Kuwaiti dinars had been transferred through Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the overseas bank accounts of the prime minister, Nasser Al-Mohammed. This led to respected Foreign Minister Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah, the only remaining member of the Al-Salem branch of the Sabah family, to resign in protest. Nasser Al-Mohammed denied the allegations, saying that "all the transfers were in the service of the interests of Kuwait and contained no personal benefit" and was subsequently acquitted by a special judicial tribunal in Kuwait.[12]

'Fake' coup video

In December 2013, allies of Ahmad Al-Fahad claimed to possess tapes purportedly showing that Nasser Al-Mohammed and former Parliament Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi were discussing plans to topple the Kuwaiti government.[13] In April 2014 the Kuwaiti government imposed a total media blackout to ban any reporting or discussion on the issue.[14]

In March 2015, Kuwait's public prosecutor dropped all investigations into the alleged coup plot and Ahmad Al-Fahad read a public apology on Kuwait state television[15] renouncing the coup allegations. Since then, "numerous associates of his have been targeted and detained by the Kuwaiti authorities on various charges," most notably members of the so-called "Fintas Group" that had allegedly been the original circulators of the 'fake' coup video.[16]

Public protests and resignation

Mass political rallies held in November 2011 led the Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to accept Nasser Al-Mohammed's resignation on 28 November 2011.[17]

Honors and awards

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. A Diplomat Burdened With a Cumbersome Legacy. The Majalla. 22 June 2009. 29 June 2013.
  2. Selvik. Kjetil. Elite Rivalry in a Semi-Democracy: The Kuwaiti Press Scene. Middle Eastern Studies. 2011. 47. 3. 477–496. 10.1080/00263206.2011.565143.
  3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7787838.stm Kuwait re-appoints prime minister
  4. News: Kuwait PM survives confidence vote. Al Jazeera. 29 June 2013.
  5. Web site: Kuwait: Security, Reform, and U.S. Policy. Congressional Research Service. 14 September 2013. Kenneth Katzman. 30 August 2013.
  6. Web site: موقع بوابة الشيخ نايف أحمد الصباح - شجرة عائلة الصباح . https://web.archive.org/web/20180215094754/http://www.nalsabah.com/ . dead . 2018-02-15 . nalsabah.com . ar .
  7. Web site: March 23, 2011. National Alliance submitted a grilling request against Ahmad Al-Fahad. October 17, 2020. Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the State of Kuwait.
  8. Web site: Diwan. Kristin Smith. Kuwait's constitutional showdown. 2020-10-17. Foreign Policy. en-US.
  9. News: June 13, 2011. Parliament informed of Ahmad Al-Fahad resignation, grilling called off - Kharafi. Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). October 17, 2020.
  10. News: 2011-06-09. Kuwait's deputy prime minister resigns - TV. en. Reuters. 2020-10-17.
  11. Web site: Everyone’s a loser as Kuwait’s ‘Black Wednesday’ leaves opposition weaker and regime foundering Gulf States Newsletter. 2020-10-17. www.gsn-online.com.
  12. Web site: Former Kuwait premier refuses to appear at graft investigation. 2020-10-17. The National. en.
  13. News: 2015-03-18. 'Fake' video tape ends Kuwait coup investigation. en-GB. BBC News. 2020-10-17.
  14. Web site: Kuwait orders media blackout on ‘coup’ video. 2020-10-17. www.aljazeera.com. en.
  15. News: Associated Press. 2018-11-19. Indicted Kuwaiti Sheikh Steps Aside From I.O.C. (Published 2018). en-US. The New York Times. 2020-10-17. 0362-4331.
  16. Web site: Kuwaiti royals jailed after appeal in social media case fails. 2020-10-17. ArabianBusiness.com. en.
  17. Web site: Foundation. Thomson Reuters. Kuwait government resigns. 2021-09-03. news.trust.org.
  18. Web site: ملك سوازيلاند يقلد سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء وسام مملكة سوازيلاند . https://web.archive.org/web/20110614234011/http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2015979&Language=ar . dead . 2011-06-14 . KUNA . ar . 23 September 2009 .
  19. Web site: سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء يلتقي الرئيس الفرنسي في قصر الاليزيه . https://web.archive.org/web/20110614233939/http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2076265&Language=ar . dead . 2011-06-14 . KUNA . ar . 16 April 2010 .
  20. Web site: رئيس الوزراء: نتطلع لمزيد من التعاون مع سانتياغو في شتى المجالات . https://web.archive.org/web/20200109180228/https://www.alanba.com.kw/ar/kuwait-news/official/127730/28-07-2010-%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%B9-%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%BA%D9%88-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA/ . dead . 2020-01-09 . alanba.com . ar . 28 July 2010 .
  21. Web site: سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء يستقبل رئيس بلدية تيرانا بجمهورية ألبانيا . https://web.archive.org/web/20200310183743/https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticlePrintPage.aspx?id=2202779&language=ar%2F . dead . 2020-03-10 . KUNA . ar . 16 November 2011 .
  22. Web site: سمو الشيخ ناصر المحمد يتسلم شهادة الدكتوراه الفخرية من جامعة روما . https://web.archive.org/web/20200224230318/http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2378759&language=ar/ . dead . 2020-02-24 . KUNA . ar . 22 May 2014 .
  23. Web site: المحمد نال أرفع وسام أكاديمي من جامعة بولونيا الإيطالية: أشعر بمسؤولية أكبر لخدمة العلم والمعرفة والسلام الدولي . https://web.archive.org/web/20140724213544/http://al-seyassah.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A3%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A8/ . dead . 2014-07-24 . al-seyassah.com . ar . 25 May 2014 .