Kuwaiti emir asks outgoing premier to form new cabinet

The Kuwaiti emir on Monday asked outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah to form a new government following a general election won by the Islamist-led opposition. Sheikh Jaber, a senior member of the ruling Al-Sabah family, submitted the resignation of his cabinet on Sunday, as required by the constitution after a general election. He was appointed in December after the previous cabinet resigned in response to a political deadlock that has stymied reform and held up vital development projects in the major oil exporter. The premier should form the cabinet before February 15 when the new parliament is scheduled to hold its opening session. The opposition won 34 seats in the 50-member parliament with Sunni Islamists, including Salafists, becoming the most formidable bloc in the house with 23 members. Opposition candidates had been tipped to expand their influence in parliament, riding on a wave of popular frustration with corruption and political paralysis. That anger came to a head in November, when protesters stormed the chamber demanding the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah, whom they accused of graft. Women failed to win a single seat after making history in the 2009 election by winning four seats for the first time. Liberals and pro-government candidates were also big losers in Thursday’s poll.