Kuwaiti Crown Prince meets former PMs to discuss forming new government

Cabinet under Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Sabah resigned in January after three months in office

Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Sabah receives caretaker Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Sabah. Crown Prince Diwan / Kuna

Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Sabah has begun consultations to form a new government to succeed the current caretaker cabinet, which submitted its resignation last month amid tensions with the elected parliament.

On Wednesday, the Crown Prince met four former prime ministers, National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al Saadoun and former speaker Marzouq Al Ghanim to discuss the next government formation.

The government under Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Sabah resigned on January 23 after only three months in office following a feud with the National Assembly over requests to question two cabinet ministers and a controversial draft bill.

The loan relief bill would force the government to purchase several billion Kuwaiti dinars' worth of citizens' consumer and personal loans.

The government said the move would be too expensive, costing almost $46 billion in public funds. Other politicians say it would cost less than $6.5 billion.

Mr Saadoun was forced to adjourn scheduled National Assembly sessions yet again on Tuesday and Wednesday over a lack of a quorum and the government’s failure to attend. The adjournments delay debate and voting on key bills related to much-needed economic reforms.

The next ordinary parliament sessions are scheduled on March 7 and 8.

Saleh Ashour, a member of parliament, called on two fellow MPs who are also members of Sheikh Ahmad's cabinet, Badr Al Mulla and Ammar Al Ajmi, to attend the next session.

“They are two members of the National Assembly who were elected by the Kuwaiti people, and it is more appropriate for them to stand beside us unless they aspire to be appointed to the next government,” Mr Ashour said.

Kuwaiti political observers said the Crown Prince's push for consultations on forming the country's 43rd government follow closed-door negotiations to resolve the issues that led to the stand-off between Sheikh Ahmad's government and opposition members of parliament.

Analysts who spoke to The National said it was likely that Sheikh Ahmad, a son of the Emir Sheikh Nawaf, would be assigned to form the government again. Some observers fear the dispute will carry over to the next government under Sheikh Ahmad.

The next government is expected to be announced before the middle of next month.