Kuwait Cabinet steps down after parliament polls

KUWAIT CITY — The Kuwaiti Cabinet on Monday submitted its resignation to the emir of the Gulf state following snap parliamentary polls, an official statement said. The move falls in line with the emirate's constitution which requires the Cabinet to step down after polls. After accepting the resignation, Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah will either reappoint the outgoing premier, Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, or name another senior member of the ruling family to form a Cabinet. The new Cabinet must be formed before parliament holds its first session within the next two weeks. The election on Saturday saw the Islamist-dominated opposition win nearly half of the 50-seat parliament after it ended a four-year boycott and took part in the polls. The Emir dissolved the previous parliament. Voters dealt a heavy blow to candidates from the outgoing parliament, with more than half of them failing to win seats in the new assembly. Only one woman was elected and Kuwait's Shiite Muslim minority was reduced to six seats from nine in the previous house. Kuwait has an elected parliament with powers to hold ministers to account. The election came as Kuwait faces its most acute budget crisis in years. Oil income, which accounts for 95 percent of government revenues, has nosedived by 60 percent in the past two years. The OPEC member which pumps 3.0 million barrels per day of oil posted its first budget deficit of $15 billion last year following 16 years of surpluses. — AFP