The previous King's abdication in favor of his son was initially set to occur in 2008 as well. Still, there was an apparent concern that the new King should have hands-on experience as the nation's leader before presiding over a transformation in the country's form of government. According to the national newspaper, the Kuensel, the previous King stated to his cabinet that "as long as he continued to be King, the Crown Prince would not gain the experience of dealing with issues and carrying out the responsibilities of a head of state. With parliamentary democracy to be established in 2008, there was much to be done; so he needed to gain this valuable experience."
