Kuwait's prime minister told to go

Protest organisers say corruption in Kuwait is expanding while the economy remains stagnant.

A Kuwaiti protester holds a banner reading "The people want an elected government" as another addresses fellow demonstrators outside the parliament building in Kuwait City late on June 10, 2011 duringShow more

KUWAIT CITY // Around 500 protesters braved searing heat and a thick dust cloud on Friday to demand the prime minister's resignation.

Speakers at the rally outside parliament called for the replacement of Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al Sabah and his deputy, Sheikh Ahmed Fahad al Sabah, for alleged corruption and mismanagement. After speeches, hundreds of the attendees were prevented from making the short walk to the council of ministers by a heavy security presence. Similar protests have become a weekly occurrence in the capital.

The crowd chanted slogans and held up a banner reading: "Go. We want the best."

Mohammed al Hamlan, the head of Noreed, or We Want, one of the groups organising the protest, said corruption in Kuwait is expanding while the economy is stagnant.

"[Sheikh Nassar] had seven governments and it's the same corruption, the same failures and the same lack of development," said Mr Hamlan.

Since the emir, Sheikh Sabah Ahmed al Jaber al Sabah, first appointed Sheikh Nasser to his post in 2006, friction between the government and its parliamentary opponents has led to resignations of the cabinet and early elections. The latest crisis came in March, when ministers resigned en masse to prevent MPs from questioning three prominent royals in the house.

"There's corruption everywhere," Mr Hamlan said. "You need wasta [influence] to get a job. Projects are awarded to people with connections and some members of parliament are taking money from the prime minister - he controls it."

He said the organisers - youth groups, the Kuwaiti branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and Kuwait University's Student Union - aim to attract 15,000 people and continue the weekly rallies until the prime minister is gone and "Nasser's system" has changed.

Sheikh Nasser has denied the allegations of corruption. Yesterday a pro-government MP, Salwa al Jassar, criticised several members of parliament who attended the protest, saying: "Democracy is freedom within boundaries, not the freedom of chaos, as some members of the legislature unfortunately believe."

Protests against Sheikh Nasser have been held in Kuwait since 2009, but their attendance has increased since the Arab Spring emboldened Arabs to protest openly against their rulers this year.

The royal family's tense relationship with parliament has been compounded by a power struggle within its ranks, protesters said.

"The problem is that everybody wants the main chair," said Faisal al Ajimi, a protester said of the prime minister's seat.

Last month, Sheikh Ahmed, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, was deserted by MPs close to Sheikh Nasser in a vote related to a request to question him. If the 27 MPS who voted against Sheikh Ahmed's proposal back a motion of no confidence after the questioning, he would become the first minister to be removed by an internal parliamentary vote.

The local press reported that Sheikh Ahmed has submitted his resignation.

"The royal family has many people who are good, better than Sheikh Nasser and Sheikh Ahmed," said Mubarak al Haqqan, a member of the university's student union, said at the protest. A document signed by 16 MPs was circulated among the crowd calling for the prime minister and entire government to be sacked because of rife corruption and a failure to run the country, Agence France-Presse reported.

Critics of the prime minister have accused him of restricting freedom of expression by bringing court cases against prominent authors and activists.

In what was seen as a move to reduce political tension after Arab uprisings, the cases were dropped in February.

The fractious politics within the National Assembly could stall a $104 billion (Dh381.9bn) four-year development plan. Adel al Wugayan, secretary-general of Kuwait's supreme council for planning and development, said problems, such as the recent resignation of the government, should not affect the plan's implementation because it was "cast in stone" when the law related to the plan was passed last year. "In practice, we will have to see," Mr Wugayan said.