Emir of Kuwait orders formation of new govt

KUWAIT CITY

The Emir of Kuwait, Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, on Wednesday named Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah as prime minister and asked him to form a new government, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

According to KUNA, the new PM will form a new cabinet and present the new lineup to the emir for approval.

Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah served as Kuwaiti PM since August of 2013 before resigning on Monday in a procedural step following recent parliamentary elections.

The former government saw several changes, including the resignation of some ministers -- for various reasons -- to avoid confrontation with the parliament.

Last week, opposition groups made a comeback in the assembly, winning almost half of the seats in Saturday polls.

According to official results announced Sunday, the opposition and their allies won 24 seats in Kuwait’s 50-seat parliament.

The win came after the opposition ended a boycott of the polls to protest government attempts to amend the electoral system.

The results showed that only 20 members of the former assembly made it into the new parliament.

The Shia minority -- which accounts for roughly one-third of Kuwait’s population -- won six seats, down from nine in the previous parliament.

The polls also saw the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic Constitutional Movement win four seats, while one woman was elected to the new assembly.

The elections were called after the country’s emir dissolved parliament in October, citing "regional developments" and "security challenges".

The last parliamentary election was held in Kuwait in 2013.

Reporting by Mohamed Abdel-Ghaffar; Writing by Mahmoud Barakat;