Kuwaiti Emir Reappoints Former PM

Photo Credit: Khaleej Times

Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah reappointed former prime minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah just days after his resignation, a widely expected move that many observers view as a move toward breaking the ongoing stalemate between the ruling family and Islamists and other opposition forces. The decree requests that Sheikh Jaber form a new cabinet, which is expected to recommend that Emir Sabah dissolve the reinstated parliament and call for new polls to resolve the political deadlock. Lawmaker Saleh Ashour commented on the development, saying that the new cabinet will probably not differ from the previous one: “probably there will not be new ministers…because this was just an exceptional decision to resolve the problem.”

Meanwhile, two Kuwaiti liberal parties called for reforms, including the creation of an election commission, independence of the judiciary, and the establishment of an anti-corruption authority.