Former defence minister officially Kuwaiti PM

Kuwait’s emir on Wednesday appointed outgoing defense minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah as the new prime minister of the Gulf state, state-run Kuwait Television announced. “An emiri decree was issued appointing Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah as prime minister,” the report said. Authorities have also released on bail the last 24 protesters being held for storming parliament last month. Reuters new agency reported that 32 people had been detained after protesters forced their way into the parliament chambers in November demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah quit over allegations of corruption, which he denies. "The public prosecution office ordered their release on a bail of KD1,000 ($3,600) each," said lawyer Faisal al-Thufairy. Eight of those held have already been freed on bail. Sheikh Jaber, a senior member of the ruling family, replaces outgoing premier Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who quit on Monday under pressure from the opposition. The move follows the resignation of the Kuwaiti government after protesters and opposition deputies stormed parliament to demand that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah step down over corruption allegations. Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah asked the new premier to form the cabinet which will be the eighth since February 2006 when the former premier was appointed to the post. Sheikh Jaber, a senior member of the ruling family, replaces outgoing premier Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who quit on Monday under pressure from the opposition and after graft charges. Sheikh Jaber, 69, has been in the cabinet since 2001 and was also the first deputy premier in the outgoing cabinet. But opposition sources have speculated that the new government is likely to be a transitional cabinet mainly to oversee the next election after dissolving parliament Opposition Islamist MP Falah al-Sawwagh told AFP that a decree by the emir dissolving parliament and calling for snap polls “was expected to be issued late Wednesday.” The current parliament’s term ends in May 2013, while new elections have to be held within two months, according to Kuwaiti law. Kuwaiti opposition MPs had appealed to the emir to dissolve the parliament during an opposition-sponsored rally on Monday. The opposition and youth activists had accused the former prime minister of failure to fight corruption and manage the wealthy Gulf state effectively and had launched a campaign since March. In August, the campaign intensified after allegations that about 15 pro-government MPs received illegal deposits into their bank accounts estimated by the opposition at $350 million, AFP reported. Kuwait is OPEC’s third largest producer, pumping around three million barrels per day. It has amassed over $300 billion in surpluses but development has been stalled due to almost non-stop political disputes. During the past five years, Kuwait had seven governments and parliament was dissolved on three occasions.