Kuwait's Cabinet resigns after tense parliament conflict

Kuwait's Cabinet has resigned and the emir has accepted the resignation, the parliament speaker said.

"As far as I know, the resignation has been submitted to the emir, and it has been accepted," Jassem al-Kharafi told reporters on Sunday. He said he believes the ruler, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, will ask the prime minister, Sheik Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah, to form a new Cabinet.

"The [emir's] decree accepting the resignation will be sent to me tomorrow," the speaker said.

The move had been widely expected to pre-empt a vote of no confidence in the health minister, who is a member of the ruling family.

There has been no official statement from the Cabinet, but Ismail al-Shatti, minister of state for Cabinet affairs, told Kuwaiti state television that the resignation was "made necessary by the public interest" and that Cabinet members believe it has become "difficult to work with parliament." Al-Shatti spoke as he left the weekly Cabinet meeting. He did not elaborate.

The official Kuwait News Agency later reported the emir accepted the resignation and asked the Cabinet to stay on in a caretaker capacity.

On Feb. 19, the health minister, Sheik Ahmed Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, defended himself in parliament against accusations of mismanagement and incompetence, but lawmakers were unconvinced and decided he should face a confidence vote, which was scheduled for yesterday.

The resignation automatically cancels the vote. Had he lost the vote, Sheik Ahmed would have had to step down, an embarrassment to the ruling family that traditionally holds key Cabinet posts.

Kuwaiti governments have previously pre-empted votes of no-confidence by resigning. Such moves have even led to dissolving parliament.

Walid Tabtabai, one of the three lawmakers who posed questions to the health minister in last month's session, said a vote of no confidence "could spell political execution" for a minister.

Political analyst Ayed al-Mannah fears the scenario will continue to be repeated as long as Kuwait lacks political parties. He said the legislative and executive powers were more prone to clash because Cabinets in Kuwait are not formed by parties that win elections, and they do not always enjoy parliamentary backing.

"The government doesn't have a majority in parliament. It[s members] come from outside parliament ... so it doesn't find support," when it needs it, al-Mannah said. Only one Cabinet minister is an elected member of parliament.

The country's 1962 Constitution calls for at least one member of parliament to be appointed in the Cabinet. There are no officially recognized parties in this small oil-rich state, and Cabinets do not have to be sanctioned by the 50-seat legislature.