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Kuwait emir reappoints outgoing PM amid opposition warning
By Omar Hasan
AFP
KUWAIT CITY
Petroleumworld.com 07 02 06
Kuwait's emir reappointed outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah as premier Sunday as opposition MPs warned against retaining "controversial" ministers.
Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, ruler of the oil-rich Gulf Arab state, issued a decree naming Sheikh Nasser as prime minister and asked him to form a new government, the official KUNA news agency reported.
The move came one day after Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir, tendered his cabinet's resignation, as stipulated by law following parliamentary polls. However, members of the opposition, which scored a resounding victory in Thursday's elections, called on the premier to "understand the strong message sent by the Kuwaiti people" while forming the new cabinet -- and demanded the exclusion of certain ministers.
"The government will escalate tension if it retains certain ministers who are the cause of crises" with parliament, Islamist Shiite MP Adnan Abdulsamad told reporters.
"The ministers of energy and communications and the state minister for cabinet affairs must be excluded" from the new cabinet, Abdulsamad said.
Outspoken opposition MP Mussallam al-Barrak said the next cabinet must include "clean" ministers.
"We want a strong, cohesive cabinet without the controversial ministers. We need clean ministers in the next cabinet," he told reporters.
Thursday's polls were the first in which women took part in the conservative emirate, although none of the 28 female candidates was elected.
The Kuwaiti opposition, a loose alliance of Islamists, liberals and nationalists, won 33 seats in the 50-member parliament, securing the absolute majority required to push through legislation.
Some 43 newly elected MPs held an informal meeting Sunday to discuss the most important issues in the next parliamentary term.
Islamist MP Khaled al-Adwah said they discussed the issue of slashing the number of constituencies, which triggered the dissolution of the previous parliament.
"Some MPs supported the reduction to five districts and others called for turning Kuwait into a single constituency. No decision has been taken as more meetings will be held," Adwah said.
Dozens of young activists staged a sit-in outside the house where the meeting was held.
They carried banners reading "MPs, we elected you, do not let us down" and "No to controversial ministers".
The new parliament is scheduled to hold its first meeting on July 12, and the new cabinet must be formed before then.
Elections were called a year early after the emir dissolved parliament in May following a dispute between opposition MPs and the government over an electoral reform bill that would have sharply reduced the number of constituencies in a bid to address allegations of vote-buying.
KUNA reported that Sheikh Sabah met with four former parliament speakers Sunday to consult them on the formation of the new cabinet.
AFP 07 15 29 GMT 02 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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