Kuwaiti Finance Minister Nayef al-Hajraf survived Wednesday a parliamentary no-confidence vote called in response to a grilling motion tabled by 10 lawmakers on June 25.
Hajraf won 32 votes against 16 in the no-confidence session attended by 48 lawmakers.
It was the second time for the finance minister to survive a no-confidence vote in less than a month, the first time being on June 11.
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah congratulated the minister on the parliament’s renewed confidence.
“You have placed confidence in me for the second time,” Hajraf told lawmakers after the vote. “This trust implies a major victory not for me personally, but for our democratic course of action,” he added.
The minister expressed frustration at the misleading campaigns through various media platforms and social media websites against laws and legislation.
National Assembly Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim opened Wednesday’s session with four items on its agenda including the no-confidence motion in addition to reviewing the financial situation of the country and seven reports on investigation requests in a number of topics.
The MPs who submitted the motion are Riyadh al-Adsani, Abdulkarim al-Kandari, Thamer al-Suwait, Khaled al-Otaibi, Bader al-Mulla, Adel al-Damkhi, Abdulwahab al-Babtain, Farraj al-Arbeed, Majed al-Mutairi, and Mohammad al-Mutair.
Adel al-Damkhi stated that the interpellation concerns a significant category of the society (the retired) and results from his pledge to resolve the case of exorbitant interests on retirement loans.
However, MP Nayef Al-Mardas defended the minister, saying he was cooperative in resolving this case and has shown tangible steps by attending four meetings of the financial and economic affairs committee.
