Manama: Kuwait's new government should be ready before the end of this week, according to a local daily report.
"I cannot say exactly the day, but the government will be formed within this week," sources told Al Watan daily. The Arabic newspaper did not name the sources, but said they were highly placed.
Last week, the Kuwaiti Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah appointed Shaikh Jaber Al Mubarak to form a new government amid hopes it will help lead the country out of a deep crisis that has made a heavy political and social toll on the country.
According to the daily, Shaikh Jaber has been meeting with former ministers, political and business figures and lawmakers for consultations on the new government. Some of the outgoing ministers are likely to be re-appointed in the new cabinet despite calls by opposition lawmakers to sever all ties with former officials and ensure a fresh start.
The prime minister's meeting on Sunday with Jassem Al Khorafi, the parliament Speaker, will focus on the names of the lawmakers who could join the government and on pending crucial issues that included the investigation into the millions deposited allegedly illegally in the bank accounts of some MPs and the case of the parliament storming, the daily said.
The public prosecutor has launched a probe into the accounts of 18 MPs for allegedly receiving money to influence their voting. The graft scandal had prompted the opposition to step up pressure on the former prime minister to step down by staging rallies and storming the parliament.
The unprecedented action resulted in the arrest of 24 people and in calls to lift the immunity of the lawmakers who led the storming. The detainees were released on bail, but the case has not been closed.
The formation of the new government will pave the way for the dissolution of the parliament and the holding of new elections.
According to the daily, the opposition will be working on a letter to the new prime minister outlining its views on the new government and the elections.
