KUWAIT CITY, July 1: His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sunday accepted the resignation of the government.

The government, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, had resigned last week to pave the way for the implementation of the Constitutional Court verdict which on June 20, 2012 had ruled the Parliament of 2012 null and void and reinstated the 2009 National Assembly.

HH the Amir then asked the outgoing Prime Minister to run the day-to-day affairs of the country until a new government is formed.

A parliamentary source said HH the Amir is expected this week to meet former speakers of the Parliament for consultations before appointing a prime minister to form the next Cabinet.

The source added as per the Constitution the reinstated Parliament will convene to allow the new government to take the oath of office but if for some reason the Parliament does not convene or there is lack of quorum, the Amir will then issue a decree to dissolve it followed by another decree calling for the parliamentary elections within 30 days which will probably happen in August after Ramadan.

After this the Amir will issue a decree to convene the first session of the 14th Legislative Term of the new Parliament probably during the last ten days of next October.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the Parliament Jassem Al-Kharafi said the Prime Minister has informed him after the formation of the government it will take the oath of office before the 2009 Parliament in line with the Constitutional Court ruling.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament House, Al-Kharafi said Sheikh Jaber explained to him that the government will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the 2009 Parliament because the previous government had already attended the swearing-in ceremony after its formation last February “but after its resignation, the government will attend the oath-taking ceremony at the Parliament after taking a constitutional oath before the Amir as part of completing the constitutional procedures,” stressed the Prime Minister.

Al-Kharafi pointed out the resignation of the current government and the issuance of Amiri decree to accept its resignation is part of the constitutional procedure in line with the Constitutional Court ruling.
He added the next steps include the Amir holding traditional consultations with the current Speaker and the former Parliament speakers and ministers after which a prime minister will be appointed and asked to form the government which will be sworn in before the Amir and the Parliament.

Asked about corrective measures that will be taken by the 2009 Parliament before its dissolution, Al-Kharafi said “There are some who create problems out of the blue. We have the Constitutional Court ruling and we have to respect and implement it whether we support the continuation of this Parliament or not and we have to complete the constitutional procedures.”

Criticizing the opposition members for issuing irresponsible statements, Al-Kharafi stated “Shouting and defaming other people will not stop the work of the 2009 Parliament except through a decision of HH the Amir because he alone has a constitutional right to take such a decision which even requires certain constitutional procedures.

With regard to his expectations as to how the Parliament can hold a session for the oath-taking ceremony, Al-Kharafi said he will call for a session and if there is no quorum he will refer the issue to the Amir.

When asked if the time is right to talk about constitutional amendment during the current or the next Parliament to reduce the powers of the government and the Amir, Al-Kharafi explained he is surprised at those who are calling for the constitutional amendment.

He added the Constitution gives the Amir the right to oppose any amendment that will hamper ties between the ruler and his subjects “and no one has the right to call for such amendments,” he stressed.
When asked if there are reasons to dissolve the 2009 Parliament as stated last week by the Minister of Information, Al-Kharafi said until this moment he did not understand the reasons for dissolving the Parliament.

He added, “but I believe in the jurisdiction of HH the Amir to take appropriate decisions and I personally have not heard of any reasons for the dissolution that still exist, but what we are certain is the ruling of the Constitutional Court came due to wrong procedures to dissolve the 2009 Parliament. However, we are waiting for a decision from HH the Amir.”

With regards to the powers of the government concerning the dissolution of the Parliament, Al-Kharafi explained the government can submit a letter to the Amir concerning non-cooperation by the Parliament and the Amir has right to either accept the non-cooperation letter and dissolve the Parliament or accept the resignation of the government and retain the parliament.

“So I assure you that the constitutional procedures are going on smoothly and in the right way and by God’s grace we will implement the Constitutional Court ruling.

In conclusion, Al-Kharafi stressed the need to have mercy on Kuwait and its people and work for the stability of the nation. It is time to stop infighting and using tactics to discredit others.

Agencies add:

A meeting of the caretaker cabinet was held Sunday under the chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Several ministers, representatives of the Cabinet’s Fatwa and Legislative Department and senior officials of the technical apparatus for studying development projects and initiatives were present in the meeting.

The meeting is part of the cabinet’s efforts to follow up on mega development projects and relevant executive moves.

During the meeting, Minister of Education and Higher Education and Acting Minister of Finance Nayef Al-Hajraf and Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim elaborated on steps taken to enforce Law 39/2010 on the establishment of Kuwaiti shareholding companies that could set up power plants and water stations.

They also expounded on procedures to ensure full transparency and equal opportunities regarding the bidding process.

Chairman of the technical apparatus for studying development projects and initiatives Adel Al-Roumi made a detailed presentation on the projects in question, together with legal and technical procedures for the said law, with the participation, and under the supervision, of the State Audit Bureau and the Cabinet’s Fatwa and Legislative Department with a view to ensuring public interest, safeguarding public funds and offering better public services.