Questioning Kuwait's PM

The main reason for the frequent dissolution of recent Kuwait parliaments has been the desire of MP's to question the prime minister, a high-ranking member of the royal family. That barrier has fallen:

"The non-cooperation motion was sparked by a request from MP Faisal Al Mislim who last month sparked a fury when he displayed a $700,000 cheque signed by the prime minister for the benefit of a former MP.

"Al Mislim demanded to know the reasons for such a generous act at a time when the premier’s court was being audited, insinuating financial mismanagement.

"However, Shaikh Nasser, a nephew of the Amir, said that the cheque was personal and that the money was from his private account.

"A vote by MPs to grill him threw Kuwait, the first Gulf country to have a parliament, into political turmoil, and the Amir was left with the option of dismissing the government or dissolving the National Assembly to avoid the quizzing.

"But Shaikh Nasser insisted that he and three other ministers also under doubts of financial and administrative irregularities face quizzing by MPs.

"On December 8, Shaikh Nasser was grilled by MPs in a marathon behind closed doors session.

"The parliament’s vote results today put an end to the turmoil and Shaikh Nasser will keep his post."

Here is a profile of the MP who brought the motion.