Nasser Al-Sabah

Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (Arabic: الشيخ ناصر المحمد الأحمد الجابر الصباح‎, 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.

Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ناصر المحمد الأحمد الصباح
6th Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait
In office 7 February 2006 – 28 November 2011
Monarch	Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Deputy	Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Preceded by	Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Succeeded by	Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Minister of Amiri Diwan of Kuwait (Head of the Ruler's Court)
In office 10 September 1990 – 12 February 2006
Prime Minister	Saad Al-Abdullah Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Preceded by	Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Succeeded by	Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
Minister of Social Affairs
In office 11 January 1988 – 9 March 1990
Prime Minister	Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah
Preceded by	Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Succeeded by	Jaber Abdullah
Personal details
Born	22 December 1940 Kuwait City, Kuwait
Political party	Independent
Alma mater	University of Geneva

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.[1] He is the nephew of the former Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh 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] From 1960 to 1964, courses in Political Science and Economics from the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Career

Sheikh 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]

Sheikh Nasser resigned on 4 March 2007 in a move observers believe was aimed at avoiding a no-confidence motion against health minister Sheikh 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 Sheikh 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 Sheikh Nasser to form the Kuwaiti Government for the sixth consecutive time. The new Government maintained supremacy of the Al-Ahmed Branch of the Al-Sabah Family.

Nasser with U.S. President George W. Bush in 2008

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 Sheikha Shahrazad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, with whom he had: Sabah and Ahmad.[6]

Controversies

Dispute with Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and corruption allegations

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

Alleged Payments to MPs

In August 2011, supporters of Sheikh 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.[8]

Alleged Payments through Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Also in October 2011, rabble-rousing MP Musallam Al-Barrack, a close associate of Sheikh 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, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed. This led to respected Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah, the only remaining member of the Al-Salem branch of the Sabah family, to resign in protest.[8] Sheikh 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]

Public Protests and Resignation

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

'Fake' Coup Video[13]

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][8] 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[13] 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,"[8] most notably members of the so-called "Fintas Group" that had allegedly been the original circulators of the 'fake' coup video.[8][16]

Honors and awards

• Order of the Persian Empire, 1st Class, from the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in November 1968.
• Knight Medal from Paris Mayor Jacques Chirac in 1984.
• Medal of Argentina, First Class, from President Carlos Menem on August 15, 1993.
• Knight Medal of the First Class from the President of Senegal Abdou Diouf on October 17, 1994.
• Certificate of Merit from the Organization of the Islamic Conference on November 3, 1996.
• The Grand Order of the Lion Class of Finland from the President of the Republic of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, 16 September 1997.
• The Silver Lily Medal from the Dean of Florence, Italy, on November 15, 2005, at the anniversary celebrations of the Kuwaiti-Italian Friendship Association.
• Medal of the Legion of Honor, with the rank of Senior Officer, First Class, from the President of the Republic of France, Jacques Chirac, on September 12, 2006.
• Medal of Merit from the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, on January 28, 2007.
• The Federation Medal from the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, on January 29, 2007.
• The Grand Order of the National Order of Merit from the President of the Republic of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, on April 9, 2007.
• Medal of Merit, First Class, from His Excellency Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, on May 30, 2007.
• A copy of the key to the city of Tirana, Republic of Albania, on the occasion of his official visit on December 13, 2007.
• Sash of the Order of Civil Merit from King Juan Carlos I of Spain, dated May 27, 2008.
• Medal of the President from George Washington University on September 19, 2008, in honor of his career in serving his country and his people.
• The Legion of Honor, Grand Officer, from the President of the Republic of Benin, Yayi Boni, on July 16, 2009.
• Legion of Honor, Commander, from the President of the Republic of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, on July 19, 2009.
• Order of the Kingdom of Swaziland, First Class, from the King of Swaziland, Mswati III, on July 23, 2009.[17]
• Grand National Order of Merit from the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, April 16, 2010.[18]
• The key to the city of Santiago, Republic of Chile, from the mayor of the city, in recognition of his role in strengthening the Chilean-Kuwaiti relations on July 26, 2010.[19]
• Honorary Citizenship of Tirana from the Mayor of Tirana, Republic of Albania, Lulzim Basha, on November 26, 2011.[20]
• Honorary doctorate degree from the University of Rome Tor Vergata in the field of comparative legal systems and international relations on May 22, 2014.[21]
• Sigilum Magnum Medal from the University of Bologna, the highest academic honor, on May 23, 2014.[22]

See also

• House of Al-Sabah
• Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
• Military of Kuwait

References

1. "A Diplomat Burdened With a Cumbersome Legacy". The Majalla. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
2. Selvik, Kjetil (2011). "Elite Rivalry in a Semi-Democracy: The Kuwaiti Press Scene". Middle Eastern Studies. 47 (3): 477–496. doi:10.1080/00263206.2011.565143.
3. Kuwait re-appoints prime minister BBC
4. "Kuwait PM survives confidence vote". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
5. Kenneth Katzman (30 August 2013). "Kuwait: Security, Reform, and U.S. Policy" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
6. "موقع بوابة الشيخ نايف أحمد الصباح - شجرة عائلة الصباح". nalsabah.com (in Arabic).
7. "National Alliance submitted a grilling request against Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad". Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the State of Kuwait. March 23, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
8. Diwan, Kristin Smith. "Kuwait's constitutional showdown". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
9. "Parliament informed of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad resignation, grilling called off - Kharafi". Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). June 13, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
10. Reuters Staff (2011-06-09). "Kuwait's deputy prime minister resigns - TV". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
11. "Everyone's a loser as Kuwait's 'Black Wednesday' leaves opposition weaker and regime foundering | Gulf States Newslettter". www.gsn-online.com. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
12. "Former Kuwait premier refuses to appear at graft investigation". The National. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
13. "'Fake' video tape ends Kuwait coup investigation". BBC News. 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
14. "Kuwait orders media blackout on 'coup' video". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
15. "Indicted Kuwaiti Sheikh Steps Aside From I.O.C. (Published 2018)". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2018-11-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
16. "Kuwaiti royals jailed after appeal in social media case fails". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
17. "ملك سوازيلاند يقلد سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء وسام مملكة سوازيلاند". KUNA (in Arabic). 23 September 2009.
18. "سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء يلتقي الرئيس الفرنسي في قصر الاليزيه". KUNA (in Arabic). 16 April 2010.
19. "رئيس الوزراء: نتطلع لمزيد من التعاون مع سانتياغو في شتى المجالات". alanba.com (in Arabic). 28 July 2010.
20. "سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء يستقبل رئيس بلدية تيرانا بجمهورية ألبانيا". KUNA (in Arabic). 16 November 2011.
21. "سمو الشيخ ناصر المحمد يتسلم شهادة الدكتوراه الفخرية من جامعة روما". KUNA (in Arabic). 22 May 2014.
22. "المحمد نال أرفع وسام أكاديمي من جامعة بولونيا الإيطالية: أشعر بمسؤولية أكبر لخدمة العلم والمعرفة والسلام الدولي". al-seyassah.com (in Arabic). 25 May 2014.

External links

• Official site of H.H Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah