Kuwaiti Cabinet Resigns But Parliament Dissolution Seen Unlikely
Kuwaiti Cabinet Resigns But Parliament Dissolution Seen Unlikely
(Bloomberg) -- Kuwait’s government resigned on Thursday, days after questioning by lawmakers forced a minister to quit and triggered a request for a no-confidence vote against another.
The government of Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, who has been premier since November 2011, submitted its resignation to Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, who later accepted it. Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim said he doesn’t believe the ruler intends to dissolve the legislature, the official KUNA news agency reported.
Government resignations, often followed by the dissolution of parliament and fresh elections, aren’t unusual in OPEC-member Kuwait, and have mostly been triggered by clashes between lawmakers and cabinet ministers. Kuwait, alone in the Gulf, has given people a genuine say in how they’re governed but the ruling Al Sabah family retains significant powers.
Last week, thousands of Kuwaitis turned out for the first protest in the country in more than six years, organized by opposition members. Speakers demanded both the government and parliament quit amid allegations of widespread corruption and mismanagement.
Public Works Minister Jenan Bushehri resigned Nov. 12 after hours of questioning by lawmakers, saying she quit because reform had become an impossible task. Legislators then questioned Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah before submitting a motion for a no-confidence vote, which was slated for Nov. 20.
--With assistance from Abeer Abu Omar.
To contact the reporters on this story: Abbas Al Lawati in Dubai at aallawati6@bloomberg.net;Fiona MacDonald in Kuwait at fmacdonald4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Alaa Shahine, Claudia Maedler
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