Kuwait’s new emir asks cabinet to stay on after gov’t resignation

Kuwait’s new emir has asked the state’s cabinet to carry on its duties and prepare for parliamentary elections due this year after the prime minister handed in his government’s resignation on Tuesday. Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah met new Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who assumed power last Wednesday, and as per the country’s constitution “submitted his resignation and that of his government to ensure ministerial responsibilities are held by those who enjoy the emir’s confidence”, Kuwait’s state-run news agency KUNA reported. It said Sheikh Nawaf expressed his full confidence in the current cabinet, which was formed last December. Cabinet resignations in Kuwait happen frequently when elected legislators are set to question or submit a no-confidence vote against senior government officials. Kuwait has the most open political system in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with a Parliament that has the power to pass legislation and question ministers. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">