Kuwait PM may be questioned

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait plunged into a political crisis on Tuesday as opposition lawmakers appeared headed to quiz the prime minister following a controversial vote in parliament on an electoral reform bill.
       
"We have taken a united position regarding the questioning of the prime minister, but a final decision will be made in the evening," Islamist MP Faisal al-Muslim told reporters after a meeting of 29 opposition lawmakers.

 

A bid to grill Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah, a member of the ruling family, could set the stage either for the dismissal of the cabinet or the dissolution of parliament by the emir.

 

The meeting of opposition pro-reform MPs was held after parliament passed a controversial motion to refer the electoral reform bill to the constitutional court. Some 30 reformist lawmakers boycotted the session and crowds were barred.

 

Thirty-three MPs, including 15 cabinet ministers, voted in favor of the motion submitted by conservative and tribal lawmakers.

 

The tabling of the motion on Monday triggered a noisy walkout by reformist MPs in scenes unprecedented in the conservative Gulf emirate.

 

Only parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi voted against the motion Tuesday.

 

Following the vote, State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Daifallah Sharar said the government was prepared to discuss a compromise formula with the opposition.

 

Education Minister Adel al-Tabtabai was the only cabinet member who did not attend the session. No explanation
was given for his absence.