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Kuwait's ruler puts cabinet resignation on hold
The cabinet tendered its resignation as parliament was about to look into a request by three legislators to question the prime minister, a member of the royal family, over the visit of an Iranian Shi'ite cleric accused of offending Sunni Muslims. But the three deputies had also wanted to question Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah over a wide range of accusations including alleged corruption and mismanagement in the world's seventh-largest oil exporter. The impasse jeopardises crucial economic reforms such as a plan to set up a markets regulator and recent measures to tackle the impact of the global financial crisis by pumping cash into the Arab world's second-largest bourse hit by a slide. State news agency KUNA said the Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah ordered ministers to continue to carry out their duties pending a decision. After meeting with the emir earlier on Tuesday, Parliament Speaker Jassim al-Kharafi said Sheikh Sabah will not dissolve the house -- an elected legislature dominated by Islamist and tribal politicians with a history of challenging the cabinet. 'I can confirm there will be no dissolution, constitutional or unconstitutional,' Jassim al-Kharafi told reporters. Posted by: Steve White 2008-11-26 |
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