The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednesday reappointed Sheikh Nasser Al- Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as prime minister and asked him to name his new Cabinet, the Kuwaiti official News Agency (KUNA) reported.The appointment came despite political controversy surrounding the prime minister that caused Kuwait's ruler to dissolve parliament twice in less than a year.
Kuwaitis went to the polls on Saturday after Sheikh Sabah dissolved parliament in March and called for new elections. The cabinet had resigned, after opposition politicians attempted to question the prime minister, the emir's nephew, accusing him of misusing government funds, mismanaging the economy, and breaching the country's constitution. In November, some lawmakers called for the questioning of the prime minister about a visit to Kuwait by a Shiite Iranian cleric, who they claimed had insulted Sunni Muslims.
Opposition lawmakers have repeatedly called on the emir to replace Sheikh Nasser since he first became prime minister in 2006. They have forced him to resign five times. Earlier speculation by Kuwaiti commentators suggested that Sheikh Sabah would appoint Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf as prime minister, with the expectation that his position as the successor to the throne may lead parliamentarians to treat him with more deference than they treated the last prime minister. In 1963, Kuwait was the first country in the Gulf region to establish an elected parliament. In this period, it has been dissolved six times.
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