Kuwait MPs file no-confidence motion against minister

Ten Kuwaiti lawmakers filed a no-confidence motion against the health minister Tuesday over alleged mismanagement and corruption after a marathon questioning. The OPEC state has seen dozens of prime ministers and other cabinet members questioned since 2006, with many forced to resign ahead of no-confidence votes. And bitter political disputes have lead to repeated elections and a dozen cabinets being formed. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah al-Sabah, a member of the royal family, was interrogated for six hours Tuesday by opposition MP Hussein al-Mutairi, who also accused him of obstructing vital projects and blamed him for a decline in public health services. A vote on the motion will take place on November 26 and would lead to Sheikh Mohammad's automatic dismissal if it passes. Separately, Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah survived questioning after MPs overwhelmingly voted to remove essential parts from the agenda on suspicion of breaching the constitution. Riyadh al-Adasani, who filed the motion, had accused Sheikh Jaber, a senior member of the royal family, of being responsible for rife corruption, failing to resolve a chronic housing problem and a general decline in public services despite abundant cashflow. Later in the day, he filed a new motion against the premier and one against Housing Minister Salem al-Othaina over the housing crisis. And a debate over whether to call in State Minister for Development and Planning Rula Dashti a third round of questioning was postponed for two weeks at her request. MP Khalil Abdullah has accused Dashti of failing to perform her duties, blamed her for delayed development plans and accused her of "undermining Kuwait's national economic security and risking the country's future." Parliament was elected in July in the second polls in eight months after the country's top court dissolved the previous house due to procedural flaws. It was the second parliament to be scrapped for the same reason in a year.