KUWAIT CITY: The emir of Kuwait yesterday asked outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah to form a new government, ending speculation that he would be replaced after a dispute with Parliament triggered a snap election. Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah issued a decree announcing the appointment.
The new Cabinet will be Sheikh Nasser’s sixth since he was first appointed to the post in February 2006. All five of his governments so far have quit over prolonged disputes with Parliament.
The last Cabinet resigned in March after five Islamist MPs filed to question Sheikh Nasser, 69, over allegations of mismanagement and misuse of public funds that he categorically denied.
Parliament was later dissolved and snap elections held on Saturday, the emirate’s second election in a year.
Analysts said hopes are pinned on new faces in a strong Cabinet that can work with Parliament to enact economic reforms aimed at encouraging foreign investment.
“The lineup of the Cabinet is more important now. The economic sector awaits the new government, which should focus on economic reforms,” said Mustapha Behbehani, a director at Gulf Consulting Co.
The slight shift in Parliament’s balance with liberal representation could mean that Islamists are not as well placed to pressure ministers as they were before. “The liberals will want more economic liberalization,” said political analyst Shamlan Al-Eissa.
The new Cabinet must be formed before the new Parliament holds its inaugural session on May 31.
Under the Kuwaiti political system, the new Cabinet does not require a vote of confidence in Parliament.
A majority of Cabinet members are normally not elected MPs but automatically become ex-officio members of the house.
The Cabinet must include at least one elected MP, however.
