Kuwait’s Cabinet Resigns Over Situation in Bahrain

Protests at the Bahraini Embassy in Kuwait (washingtontimes.com)

The cabinet resigned on Thursday in Kuwait, the small oil-rich state that triggered the war on Iraq in 1991, and is expected to be one of the safer countries in the region in as much as the political stability is concerned.

The reason for the resignation was declared to be the political and social turmoil in the region, while the main reason is considered the way the state involved in the situation of neighboring Bahrain, where protests have begun a few weeks ago and resulted in at least 20 dead people as a result of crackdown in the first days.

Kuwait’s Cabinet (english.aljazeera.net)

The king of Bahrain invited neighboring countries to interfere with military support, and his invitation was answered by Saudi Arabia, United Emirates and other countries in the region.

Three cabinet ministers are believed to have resigned office in order to avoid questioning about why Kuwait did not send any troops in Bahrain to support the Saudi-led coalition there.

Kuwait has a very powerful parliamentary life, with lawmakers often charging the royal family over what is deemed as abuse or financial irregularities and accusation of attempting to hedge freedoms.

In such a country cabinet resignations are rather frequent, especially since opposition lawmakers have repeatedly called for bringing top officials in for questioning.

The Prime Minister Sheik Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah, relative of the ruler of Kuwait, had survived two non-confidence motions in 2009 and in January this year.11