الرئيسية
By Eman Goma, Reuters
KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's prime minister and his government
resigned Monday in response to escalating demands by protesters and
opposition deputies that he step down over corruption allegations.
The
oil-producing state has tolerated criticism of its government to a
degree rare among its Gulf neighbors, helping to insulate it from the
protest-driven political tumult that has helped topple four Arab leaders
this year.
But tensions rose sharply this month when opposition
lawmakers and protesters stormed parliament to demand the resignation of
Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah.
"We decided
to submit our resignation to comply with the national interest and due
to the danger the situation had reached," the state television channel
cited Sheikh Nasser as saying.
The storming of parliament
followed a request filed by a group of MPs to question Sheikh Nasser,
which was blocked by the cabinet in a move decried as unconstitutional
by the opposition.
Opposition MPs warned that if Sheikh Nasser
did not step up to the questioning stand on November 29, they would
escalate their campaign against him.
Kuwait has been locked in a
long-running political battle between the government dominated by the
ruling Al Sabah family and the 50-member elected parliament.
"BLACK DAY"
The
emir, who appoints all but one member of Kuwait's government including
the prime minister, accepted the government's resignation, state news
agency KUNA reported.
Last week the emir had said he would not
allow his PM to resign or dissolve the elected parliament, denouncing as
a "black day" the storming of the assembly.
At least 45 people
were arrested over the incident. Earlier Monday, parliamentary sources
said if the resignation were accepted, it could take up to three months
to form a new government. During that time parliament sessions would be
suspended.
The parliament speaker told reporters after a meeting
with the emir and members of the cabinet that he had not been informed
of any decision to dissolve the assembly.
The opposition was due to go ahead with a protest outside the parliament building later Monday despite the resignation.
"We
hope that the next step is dissolving the parliament, because a quarter
of the members were referred to the prosecutor over corruption
allegations," Islamist opposition lawmaker Dhaifallah Buramia told
reporters.
Since Sheikh Nasser became prime minister in 2006,
seven cabinets have been re-jigged and three times the emir has been
pushed to dissolve parliament and call early elections.
The
previous cabinet resigned in March to avoid parliamentary questioning of
three ministers, the main weapon the elected body has against the
government.
A small population and a generous social welfare
system have shielded Kuwait, which sits on one-tenth of global crude
reserves, from mass protests that have buffeted the Arab world this
year, helping oust the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.
(Reporting by Eman Goma and Mahmoud Harbi; writing by Isabel Coles; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait's prime minister and his government
resigned Monday in response to escalating demands by protesters and
opposition deputies that he step down over corruption allegations.
The
oil-producing state has tolerated criticism of its government to a
degree rare among its Gulf neighbors, helping to insulate it from the
protest-driven political tumult that has helped topple four Arab leaders
this year.
But tensions rose sharply this month when opposition
lawmakers and protesters stormed parliament to demand the resignation of
Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah.
"We decided
to submit our resignation to comply with the national interest and due
to the danger the situation had reached," the state television channel
cited Sheikh Nasser as saying.
The storming of parliament
followed a request filed by a group of MPs to question Sheikh Nasser,
which was blocked by the cabinet in a move decried as unconstitutional
by the opposition.
Opposition MPs warned that if Sheikh Nasser
did not step up to the questioning stand on November 29, they would
escalate their campaign against him.
Kuwait has been locked in a
long-running political battle between the government dominated by the
ruling Al Sabah family and the 50-member elected parliament.
"BLACK DAY"
The
emir, who appoints all but one member of Kuwait's government including
the prime minister, accepted the government's resignation, state news
agency KUNA reported.
Last week the emir had said he would not
allow his PM to resign or dissolve the elected parliament, denouncing as
a "black day" the storming of the assembly.
At least 45 people
were arrested over the incident. Earlier Monday, parliamentary sources
said if the resignation were accepted, it could take up to three months
to form a new government. During that time parliament sessions would be
suspended.
The parliament speaker told reporters after a meeting
with the emir and members of the cabinet that he had not been informed
of any decision to dissolve the assembly.
The opposition was due to go ahead with a protest outside the parliament building later Monday despite the resignation.
"We
hope that the next step is dissolving the parliament, because a quarter
of the members were referred to the prosecutor over corruption
allegations," Islamist opposition lawmaker Dhaifallah Buramia told
reporters.
Since Sheikh Nasser became prime minister in 2006,
seven cabinets have been re-jigged and three times the emir has been
pushed to dissolve parliament and call early elections.
The
previous cabinet resigned in March to avoid parliamentary questioning of
three ministers, the main weapon the elected body has against the
government.
A small population and a generous social welfare
system have shielded Kuwait, which sits on one-tenth of global crude
reserves, from mass protests that have buffeted the Arab world this
year, helping oust the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.
(Reporting by Eman Goma and Mahmoud Harbi; writing by Isabel Coles; editing by Philippa Fletcher)