Unanimity of Kuwaiti parliament: they needn’t ailing emir

Kuwait's parliament on Tuesday voted unanimously to oust the ailing emir, ending a nine-day leadership crisis, and temporarily handed power to the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

Parliament speaker Jassem al-Kharafi told a news conference that the legislature had taken the unprecedented vote only moments before a letter of abdication from Sheik Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah arrived. "The emir remains in the hearts of all Kuwaiti people. We all love, appreciate and respect him, but this is God's will. We can only wish him a quick recovery," al-Kharafi said.

Sheik Sabah, a half-brother of the emir who died on Jan. 15, had been widely expected in recent days to ascend to the throne. That was expected to happen in the coming hours or days after he was formally named crown prince, a necessary step under Kuwait's law of succession, reports the AP. N.U.