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Arabia

Kuwait Emir Asks Outgoing PM to Form Cabinet

2012-02-07

[An Nahar] The Kuwaiti emir on Monday asked outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah to form a new government following a general election won by the Islamist-led opposition. Sheikh Jaber, a senior member of the ruling al-Sabah family, submitted the resignation of his two-month-old cabinet on Sunday, as required by the constitution after a general election. The premier should form the cabinet before February 15 when the new parliament is scheduled to hold its opening session. Sheikh Jaber, 69, was appointed premier in late November after prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah, a nephew of the emir, quit following a dispute with the opposition and allegations of corruption. The opposition won 34 seats in the 50-member parliament with Sunni Islamists, including Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... , becoming the most formidable bloc in the house with 23 members. Women failed to win a single seat after making history in the 2009 election by winning four seats for the first time. Liberals and pro-government candidates were also big losers in Thursday's poll.

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Arabia

Emir of Kuwait Dissolves National Assembly

2011-12-07

[An Nahar] Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah on Tuesday issued a decree dissolving the Gulf state parliament, state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? reported, citing a "threat to supreme national interests." "An emiri decree has been issued to dissolve the national assembly," the television said. The action marks the fourth time in less than six years that the emir has dissolved parliament. "After the obstruction of progress and due to the threat to the supreme national interests it was decided to go back to the nation," the decree said. The decision came one week after the emir accepted the resignation of former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, following widespread protests led by youth activists. Under Kuwaiti law, fresh general elections must be held within 60 days. Another decree was expected to be issued soon to set the date for the polls. Last week, the emir appointed former defense minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah as the new premier who chaired the outgoing cabinet on Tuesday and recommended that the emir dissolve parliament. The former prime minister's resignation came after youth activists and opposition MPs mounted a campaign to oust him on allegations of corruption. The campaign intensified in August following a corruption scandal in which about 15 of the 50-member parliament had allegedly accepted large deposits into their bank accounts, estimated by the opposition at $350 million. Kuwait is OPEC's third largest producer, pumping around 3.0 million barrels of crude oil per day. It has a native population of 1.2 million people, besides 2.4 million foreign residents.

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Arabia

Kuwait Emir Names Defense Minister as PM

2011-12-01

[An Nahar] Kuwait's ruler on Wednesday appointed Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah as the new prime minister of the oil-rich Gulf state, state-run Kuwait Television announced. "An emiri decree was issued appointing Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah as prime minister," the report said. Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah asked the new premier to form the cabinet which will be the eighth since February 2006 when the former premier was appointed to the post. Sheikh Jaber, a senior member of the ruling family, replaces outgoing premier Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah who quit on Monday under pressure from the opposition and after graft charges. Sheikh Jaber, 69, has been in the cabinet since 2001 and was also the first deputy premier in the outgoing cabinet. Opposition Islamist MP Falah al-Sawwagh told Agence La Belle France Presse on Wednesday the new government is likely to be a transitional cabinet mainly to oversee the next election after dissolving parliament. Sawwagh said that a decree by the emir dissolving parliament and calling for snap polls "was expected to be issued late Wednesday." The current parliament's term ends in May 2013. New elections have to be held within two months, according to Kuwaiti law. Kuwaiti opposition MPs have repeatedly called for dissolving parliament as members of the 50-strong house are facing allegations of corruption. Sawwagh told news hounds that the Kuwaiti opposition decided after a meeting Wednesday to "suspend all mass rallies in respect for the emir who is currently taking decisive decisions." The Kuwaiti opposition and youth activists have been launching a campaign since March to oust the former prime minister accusing him of failure to fight corruption and manage the wealthy Gulf state effectively. The campaign intensified in August after allegations that about 15 pro-government MPs received illegal deposits into their bank accounts estimated by the opposition at $350 million. At a massive opposition-sponsored rally on Monday, MPs appealed to the emir to dissolve parliament saying they cannot sit with suspected corrupt politicians in the same chamber. Kuwait is OPEC's third largest producer, pumping around three million barrels per day. It has amassed over $300 billion in surpluses but development has been stalled due to almost non-stop political disputes. During the past five years, Kuwait had seven governments and parliament was dissolved on three occasions.

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Arabia

Thousands of Kuwaitis 'Storm Parliament'

2011-11-17

[An Nahar] Thousands of Kuwaitis stormed parliament on Wednesday after police and elite forces beat up protesters marching on the prime minister's home to demand he resign, an opposition MP said. "Now, we have entered the house of the people," said Mussallam al-Barrak, who led the protest along with several other politicians and youth activists also calling for the dissolution of parliament over alleged corruption. The demonstrators broke open parliament's gates and entered the main chamber, where they sang the national anthem and then left after a few minutes. The police had used batons to prevent protesters from marching to the residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, after staging a rally outside parliament. Witnesses said at least five demonstrators were maimed and treated on the site. Some activists said they will continue to camp outside parliament until the premier is sacked. Chanting "the people want to remove the prime minister," the protesters started to march to the nearby premier's residence when police blocked their way. This was the first political violence in the oil-rich Gulf state since December, when elite forces beat up protesters and MPs at a public rally, though activists have been holding protests since March. Tension has been building in Kuwait over the past three months after it was alleged that about 16 MPs in the 50-member parliament received about $350 million in bribes. The opposition has been leading a campaign to oust the premier, whom they accuse of failing to run the wealthy nation and fight corruption, which has become wide-spread. Earlier on Wednesday, about 20 opposition politicians boycotted a parliamentary session, a day after the government and its supporters succeeded in rejecting a bid by the opposition to quiz the premier over allegations of corruption. After the rejection, three opposition MPs filed a fresh request to question Sheikh Nasser over allegations of graft involving MPs and illegal overseas money transfers. The premier, 71, has been a target of opposition criticism since he was appointed to the job in February 2006, forcing him to resign six times. Parliament has also been dissolved three times in the same period.

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Arabia

Kuwaiti emir appoints crown prince as prime minister

2006-02-08

Kuwait's new emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah appointed Tuesday Interior Minister Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah as crown prince and Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah as prime minister. The appointments were made in two decrees. Sheikh Nawaf is the emir's half-brother and has held the post of first deputy prime minister since 2003, while Sheikh Nasser has been the minister of the emiri court since 1998. The crown prince's appointment to become effective needs to be approved by a majority in the oil-rich emirate's elected parliament. Under the constitution, the new premier, a nephew of the emir, has two weeks to form a government which must first be approved by the emir and take the oath of office in parliament before assuming power. The two men are from the Al-Jaber branch of the Al-Sabah ruling family, which by tradition has been alternating the leadership of the state with the Al-Salem branch for the past 85 years. The appointment follows a crisis of succession in Kuwait that saw ailing emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdallah al-Sabah voted out of office after only nine days in power following the death of his predecessor Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah on January 15. Sheikh Sabah was later nominated as new ruler and was confirmed by parliament on January 29. He was sworn in the same day. Can't tell the Sabahs without a scorecard.

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