Manama: Kuwait’s Emir on Sunday issued a decree endorsing the country’s 33rd government since its independence in 1962.
The new 16-minister formation, led by Prime Minister Shaikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah, includes two women, five deputy prime ministers and seven members of the ruling family.
The formation of the new cabinet follows the elections held on July 27 to vote in a new parliament after the Constitutional Court dissolved the previous legislative house on constitutional grounds.
The appointment of two women as ministers was seen as a reflection of the state’s commitment to empower women politically despite resistance from conservative forces in the country.
The latest cabinet has kept the number of ministers, including the prime minister, at 16. The largest cabinet was formed on July 22, 1990 and had 22 ministers. The smallest was formed in December 2011 and had only 10 ministers. Its task was to take care of urgent affairs until the parliamentary elections were held in February 2012.
According to reports in Kuwait City, 39 parliamentarians have been given ministerial portfolios since the country’s independence and six women have been appointed ministers since their political empowerment.
In 2009, four women made history by winning parliamentary seats for the first time in Kuwait. The feat was almost repeated in December when three women won. On July 27, two out of eight women candidates made it to the parliament.
