Lawmakers clear Nasser of financial irregularities

Manama: Kuwait's prime minister has, as expected, breezed past a non-cooperation motion, filed by ten MPs against him over alleged financial irregularities.

Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammad, the first Gulf premier to be grilled, won the support of 35 lawmakers, while 13 opposed him and one MP abstained from the vote. The Speaker of the National Assembly does not vote.

The voting was public, but the session to discuss the outcome of the grilling was held behind closed doors upon a request by the government who argued that the issues being discussed were sensitive.

The non-cooperation motion was sparked by a request from MP Faisal Al Muslim who last month sparked fury when he displayed a $700,000 (Dh256,9000) cheque signed by the prime minister for the benefit of a former MP.

Al Muslim, insinuating financial mismanagement, demanded to know the reasons for such an act at a time when the premier's court was being audited.

However, Shaikh Nasser, a nephew of the Emir, said that the cheque was personal and that the money was from his private account.

A vote by MPs to grill him threw Kuwait, the first Gulf country to have a parliament, into political turmoil, and the Emir was left with the option of dismissing the government or dissolving the National Assembly to avoid the questioning.

But Shaikh Nasser insisted that he and three other ministers also under doubts of financial and administrative irregularities face questioning from MPs. On December 8, Shaikh Nasser was grilled by MPs behind closed doors. Wednesday's result has put an end to the turmoil. Shaikh Nasser will keep his post.

Majority

In order to pass, the non-cooperation motion needed a simple majority from the 49 MPs. None of the 16 Cabinet ministers has the right to vote on the motion. If 25 MPs had voted for the motion, the Emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, would have had to either dismiss the prime minister and appoint another premier, or dissolve the National Assembly and call for fresh elections.

Emir's role in dispute

Article 102 of the Kuwaiti constitution on non-cooperation states that the Prime Minister does not hold any portfolio; nor shall the question of confidence in him be raised before the National Assembly.

Nevertheless, if the National Assembly decides, in the manner specified in the preceding Article, that it cannot co-operate with the Prime Minister, the matter is submitted to the Head of State. In such a case, the Emir may either relieve the Prime Minister of office and appoint a new Cabinet or dissolve the National Assembly.

In the event of dissolution, if the new Assembly decides by the above mentioned majority vote that it cannot co-operate with the said Prime Minister, he shall be considered to have resigned as from the date of the decision of the Assembly in this respect, and a new Cabinet shall be formed.