Kuwait swears in fourth government in two years

Last govt resigned in November amid political deadlock

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Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, receives Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah, in Kuwait. The emir announced the formation of a new Cabinet on Tuesday. – AP

By AFP

Published: Wed 29 Dec 2021, 4:37 PM

A new Kuwaiti government was sworn in on Wednesday, the fourth in two years, after the last one resigned in November amid political deadlock.

The cabinet was sworn in before the crown prince, the official KUNA news agency reported.

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It is the fourth government that Sabah Al Khaled Al Sabah has formed since his appointment as prime minister in December 2019.

Oil Minister Mohammed Al Fares and Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah retain their posts in the reshuffle.

However, the new line-up includes a critical voice in Finance Minister Abdulwahab Al Rushaid, who earlier this month called on government to “focus on a sustainable economy rather than on the fluctuations of oil prices”.

In last year’s elections, the opposition and its allies won nearly half of parliament’s 50 seats.

The polls were the first since the new emir, Sheikh Nawaf, took power on the death of his half-brother, Sheikh Sabah, at the age of 91.

In recent years there have been mounting calls for reform in Kuwait, where expatriate residents make up 70 per cent of the 4.8 million population.

AFP

Published: Wed 29 Dec 2021, 4:37 PM

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