Sheikh Dr Mohammad named as new premier
MPs hail appointment • Parliament to hold session on Tuesday
HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Thursday named former foreign minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah as the new prime minister and asked him to form the new Cabinet. The Harvard-educated Sheikh Dr Mohammad replaces former prime minister HH Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah.
Sheikh Dr Mohammad, 68, is the son of former Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who ruled the country between 1965 and 1976. The new prime minister received his doctorate in economics from Harvard University. He returned to Kuwait and worked as a professor at Kuwait University and at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. In the early 1990s, he was appointed as Kuwait’s ambassador to the United States.
In 2001, he was given his first ministerial post as minister of state for foreign affairs and two years later became a full foreign minister. In Oct 2011, he resigned from the government and remained outside politics for the last 12 years. Sheikh Dr Mohammad has no time limit to form his Cabinet. After the announcement, National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun sent an invitation for a parliament session to be held on Tuesday, Jan 9.
Lawmakers hailed the naming of Sheikh Dr Mohammad as the new premier and called on him to focus on development plans and establish good relations with the National Assembly. MP Marzouq Al-Ghanem congratulated the new premier and called on him to adopt HH the Amir’s address on Dec 20 as a roadmap to appoint ministers in his Cabinet.
MP Osama Al-Shaheen also welcomed Sheikh Dr Mohammad’s appointment, saying the Kuwaiti people are optimistic and are looking forward for cooperation to serve the country. MP Mohannad Al-Sayer called on the new premier to meet the appointment with a strong line-up for the Cabinet to be able to serve the Kuwaiti people in the best way. MP Majed Al-Mutairi expressed hope that the new premier will build on the previous understanding between the government and Assembly.
“His anti-corruption stance at a delicate time in Kuwait’s history back in 2011 earned him the high respect of Kuwaitis,” said Badr Al-Saif, a Kuwait University political analyst. According to Kuwaiti analyst Ayed Al-Mannaa, the new prime minister has “the diplomatic experience and academic qualifications necessary to implement the reforms envisaged” by HH the Amir. “We need... a government made up of competent people and statesmen who are not scared of being questioned by the parliament,” he said.