Kuwait cabinet resignation an indication of power tussle in parliament
Move is a result of a power struggle between parliament and the cabinet
About a month after its formation on December 14, the Kuwaiti government submitted its resignation on Tuesday to Prime Minister Shaikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, who in turn submitted his government’s resignation to Emir Shaikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah yesterday.
This step came after three deputies in the parliament that was elected on December 5, and whose formation was dominated by opposition representatives, submitted a motion to question the prime minister on January 5, due to lack of cooperation with the National Assembly.
Howit all started
The motion, submitted by MPs Badr Al Dhahoum, Thamer Al Dhafiri and Khaled Al Otaibi, received the support of about 34 deputies. This means that at least 37MPs out of 50 supported questioning the prime minister.
The government failed to show up at the National Assembly session that followed the presentation of the questioning motion, which caused the session to be suspended.
The interrogation revolves around three issues:
Constitutional violations
The first concerns a violation of Constitution when forming the government by choosing ministers without taking into account the directions of the new parliament, which is dominated by MPs with opposing views.
The second issue dealtwith the domination of the executive authority over the Parliament through the government’s support for Speaker Marzouq Al Ganem despite 28 MPs voting for another candidate, in addition to the government’s interference in forming parliament committees.
No plan of action
The third issue revolves around the government’s procrastination in presenting its plan for this legislative term, which was considered by the MPs as a breach of the constitutional obligation, that requires it to present the plan as soon as it is formed.
The Kuwaiti economy faces a deficit of $ 46 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2021 due to the pandemic and the drop in oil prices, according to former finance minister Barak Al Sheitan.
The government is seeking to pass a public debt bill that allows it to borrow 20 billion dinars ($ 66 billion) over 20 years, whichwas turned down by the previous parliament.