KUWAIT CITY, Nov 29: Kuwait’s National Assembly will be constitutionally dissolved and snap elections called by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah Wednesday, sources close to the government told the Arab Times late Tuesday.

This move comes within 24 hours of the Kuwait Cabinet’s resignation being accepted and a caretaker government, led by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah, being appointed.
The sources also told the Arab Times that a new caretaker government, led by Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah – the current Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister – would also be appointed and that Sheikh Nasser would no longer be the prime minister.

The sources also expect elections to be held in the last week of January, with January 29 the most likely date as it is a holiday.

This move is reported to have come after MPs and activists continued to call for the dismissal of Sheikh Nasser as Prime Minister even after the Cabinet’s resignation. They had also demanded that the Assembly be dissolved and new elections called as “one-third of the MPs were corrupt”.

These moves come after a whole day of indication that some major steps were being taken.
“I do not wish to answer hypothetical questions, but I do not think that Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah will return (as prime minister) as he insists on resigning,” said Speaker of Parliament Jassem Al-Khorafi on Tuesday.

The Speaker was speaking to press after adjourning Tuesday’s parliament session, which was scheduled to discuss a grilling request against HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, due to the government’s resignation. He formally suspended further sessions until a new Cabinet is formed.

Al-Khorafi responded to demands by the Opposition Bloc to release all detained youth activists arrested for storming the National Assembly on Nov 16. He explained that the assembly had not filed a complaint against the detainees but merely sent a report on the occurrences to the Public Prosecution. Therefore, Al-Khorafi continued, only the prosecution has the authority to release the prisoners.

The Speaker further pointed out the opposition’s request to withdraw the case will not resolve the issue as it is in the hands of the prosecution and a public right. He added MP Musallam Al-Barrak and others should have been careful with the lives of the youth and avoided the events within Abdullah Al-Salem Hall after they broke down its door.

“All factions of Kuwaiti society have condemned this action. Al-Barrak and the other MPs should have spared the youth the consequences of entering the hall and urged them from the start not to enter, so as not to end up where we are now,” he stated.

Al-Khorafi expressed  hope that the prosecution refrains from holding the detainees and starts initiating their release on bail. He further called on the prosecution to begin interrogating the lawmakers who broke into the parliament, “so that they would cease playing the part of youth protectors when in fact they are defending themselves.”

Al-Khorafi denied Al-Barrak’s allegation that he called for martial law during the emergency meeting with HH the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

“Al-Barrak was not with me at the meeting. It is not for me to make such a call, as HH the Amir is the wisest in assessing the circumstances and what the country may need. I believe the situation has not reached the stage where martial law is required,” he said.

Moreover, Al-Khorafi revealed that he has no knowledge of the MPs involved in the multi-million deposit bribery case. He said the dissolution of the parliament is in the hands of HH the Amir, “so, who does not like the assembly can resign.”

Protest: “Jassem, the Jailer”
The Opposition Bloc issued a statement on Tuesday condemning the Office of Parliament and Al-Khorafi, who they believe is behind the arrest and detention of activists who stormed the parliament on Nov 16.

In the statement, the bloc insisted that the activists were arrested only because they were trying to fight corrupt officials and defend the Constitution, adding that the Office of Parliament lodged a lawsuit which led to the arrest of 33 citizens for no crimes committed.

“Therefore, we are calling on the Speaker and the Parliament Office to immediately withdraw the case, for which citizens are still being arrested, and apologize to the Kuwaiti people for the detentions,” the bloc added.

Furthermore, members of political alliance ‘Nahaj’ staged a demonstration in front of Al-Khorafi’s diwaniya in Shamiya and demanded the parliament speaker withdraw cases against activists. The protestors held placards that read ‘Jassem the Jailer’, ‘the people will not have mercy on you, the jailer’, and ‘take your hammer and return our family.” The protesters were referring to Khorafi’s gavel which was taken away by someone when the parliament was stormed on Nov 16.

Within minutes, Major General Tareq Hammad arrived at the scene with several police officers and requested the protestors to leave the residential area so as not to cause panic and disturb the residents. The demonstrators complied and departed the area, leaving the placards in front of the diwaniya.
Meanwhile, MP Dr Faisal Al-Muslim said   pain is wrenching the opposition’s hearts “because the free Kuwaiti citizen is still in detention, and we pray to God that they will be released soon.” He demanded the assembly, Al-Khorafi in particular, to withdraw complaints.  

Responses to resignation
HH the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, accepted the resignation of Cabinet ministers on Monday and appointed the same as caretakers of state affairs until a new Cabinet is formed. Since Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah was appointed prime minister in 2006, the Cabinet has resigned seven times and assembly was dissolved three times.

Pro-government MPs welcomed HH the Amir’s decision to accept the Cabinet’s resignation, while the opposition remained unimpressed, further demanding the dissolution of the parliament and an interim government not headed by Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah.

MP Masouma Al-Mubarak suggested that HH the Crown Prince, Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, take over the position of prime minister until the next parliamentary elections. MP Adel Al-Sarawwy disagreed, however, and said that HH the Crown Prince should be away from daily democratic political situations as he will become the future Amir of Kuwait.

Moreover, Al- Muslim described the opposition rally held on Monday at Al-Erada Square and its attendance as “a historic day characterized with national unity and hopes for a prosperous future for the Kuwaiti people.”

 Al-Muslim expressed his appreciation to HH the Amir for accepting the resignation of the government. “Decisive historical chapters need a wise man who can take big decisions and HH the Amir is more committed to the country and its stability” he added.

 Al-Muslim assured the resignation is the first stage in a series that deals with the crisis experienced by the country. He called for the quick formation of an interim government with a new prime minister and stressed that the return of Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah as prime minister will lead to more protests by the Kuwaiti people.

 Al-Muslim added that an interim government should be followed by the dissolution of the National Assembly because about a quarter of its members have been referred to prosecution for the multimillion deposits case. Therefore, he said, it cannot be trusted with legislative issues or to perform its supervisory role.

The opposition MP further demanded the interim government supervise the upcoming parliament elections. “However, if Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad and his government should supervise the next elections, then the opposition bloc would immediately contest the election and raise the possibility of it being rigged as had occurred in the previous elections,” he said.

Al-Muslim re-affirmed the continuation of sit- ins and solidarity with activists still in detention. “We will continue our sit-in in front of the Justice Palace and we will not stop until the last person is released.”