Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Thursday accepted the resignation of defense and interior ministers, members of the ruling family, as the oil-rich Gulf state faces a new impasse Politics.
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A unique situation in the Gulf, the Kuwaiti political scene is often troubled by MPs who challenge members of the government, including those belonging to the Al-Sabah royal family. It nevertheless retains the keys to power. “The Emir issued a decree accepting the resignation of Defense Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmed Mansour Al-Ahmed Al-Sabahsaid government spokesman Tarek al-Mezrem. Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah takes the interim Defense portfolio and Oil Minister Mohammed Al-Fares takes the Interior, he added on the Twitter account. of the government.
Failure of a motion of censure
These resignations come after the Minister of Foreign Affairs was targeted by a motion of censure, which ultimately failed, on the part of opposition MPs. The latter had made a breakthrough in the 2020 legislative elections, winning almost half of the 50 seats in Parliament. The ministers justified their resignation by invoking a “abuseof power on the part of deputies, with too frequent and prolonged question sessions, despite being a “constitutional right“.
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At the end of December, Kuwait formed its fourth government in two years, amid endless political crises. Faced with economic difficulties linked to fluctuations in oil prices and the consequences of Covid-19, Kuwait is struggling to carry out reforms due to these permanent tensions between the executive and the Parliament. The ruling Al-Sabah family largely retains the levers of power, including within the government itself, despite the many political upheavals caused by parliamentarians.