Kuwait government resigns three months after formation

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s government resigned on Tuesday, three months after it was sworn in, state media reported, amid escalating disputes with parliament.

The Gulf emirate’s prime minister, Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, submitted the cabinet’s resignation to Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the official KUNA news agency said.

The move comes a day ahead of a parliamentary vote on a letter of non-cooperation, which 10 lawmakers submitted against the premier after he had been accused of committing "unconstitutional" practices, including corruption.

Oil-rich Kuwait has been shaken by disputes between lawmakers and successive governments dominated by the ruling Al-Sabah family for more than a decade, with parliaments and cabinets dissolved several times.

Kuwait is the only Gulf Arab state with a fully elected parliament, which enjoys wide legislative powers and can vote ministers out of office. In February, the country’s interior and defence ministers resigned in protest over the manner of parliamentary questioning of other ministers.

Parliament had questioned Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammed Al-Sabah -- also part of the royal family -- over corruption claims and alleged misuse of public funds. Sheikh Ahmed survived a no-confidence vote on February 16, but Defence Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah said the lengthy grilling was an "abuse" of power.

"Interrogations are a constitutional right... but parliamentary practices are hindering us from fulfilling the aspirations of the Kuwaiti people," he was quoted as saying at the time by Kuwaiti media.

The country’s last government was sworn in December, the fourth in two years, after the previous one resigned in November amid political deadlock.

Kuwait has given its assembly more influence than similar bodies in other Gulf states, including the power to pass and block laws, question ministers and submit no-confidence motions against senior government officials.

Fitch Ratings downgraded Kuwait in January to 'AA-' from 'AA', citing "ongoing political constraints" hindering its ability to pass a debt law and address a heavy reliance on oil, a lavish welfare system and a bloated pubic sector.

The octogenarian emir, before delegating duties to his designated successor, also in his 80s, tried to end the impasse by pardoning dissidents in an amnesty sought by opposition lawmakers. Kuwait does not allow political parties.

Years of low oil prices, coupled with the coronavirus pandemic, pushed the country’s account deficit to 16.6% of its GDP last year. As financial stress worsened, the government couldn’t draw from Kuwait’s flush sovereign wealth fund or issue debt because lawmakers have blocked a public debt law.

The parliament, a rarity in the autocratic region of Persian Gulf sheikhdoms, is empowered to pass and block laws, question ministers and submit no-confidence votes against senior officials. However, final authority rests with the ruling emir.

The stagnation has spread deep public disillusionment with the country’s political system. “The Kuwaiti people are exhausted and approaching a dangerous level of despair,” prominent academic Ibtihal Al-Khatib wrote in an editorial for the Arabic language Alhurra news website. The country's last government was sworn in December, the fourth in two years, after the previous one resigned in November amid political deadlock.