Kuwait emir rebukes parliament, cabinet in inaugural speech

Kuwait’s new emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmed al-Sabah on Wednesday criticized parliament and cabinet for harming national interests as he was formally sworn in before lawmakers as the country’s 17th ruler.

“I have stressed in my previous speeches that there are national obligations that must be fulfilled,” the 83-year-old ruler told lawmakers after he took the oath of office.

But “we have not noticed any change or correction” from parliament and cabinet, he added.

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Instead, the two entities have “harmed the interests of the people and the country,” he said.

Sheikh Meshal further pointed to public appointments and promotions that “don’t meet the simplest standards of justice and fairness.”

He pledged to temporarily halt promotions and new appointments, after already signing a decree on December 5 ordering a three-month pause in state hiring that is open to extension.

“We have warned on many occasions that crises, challenges and dangers surround us,” Sheikh Meshal said, underscoring “the necessity to reconsider our current reality in all its aspects.”

Shortly after the speech, the government submitted its resignation in a procedural step to allow for the naming of a new prime minister.

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