Ten MPs file non-ccoperation motion against Kuwait's premier

Manama: Ten Kuwaiti MPs have filed a non-cooperation motion against incumbent Prime Minister Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammad following his grilling on Tuesday. The move could lead to the dismissal of the premier or to the dissolving of the parliament.

According to constitutional experts, a non-cooperation motion needs to be filed by at least 10 MPs and subsequently endorsed by the parliament before it is presented to the Amir. Two MPs supporting and two MPs opposing the motion need to highlight their arguments before the parliament decides whether to proceed with it.

Once the motion reaches the Amir, he either replaces the prime minister or dissolves the parliament. In March, the Amir dissolved the parliament and called a legislative election to prevent the questioning of the prime minister.

MP Dr Faisal Al Mislim who had asked to grill Shaikh Nasser, the nephew of the Amir, on allegations of financial irregularities in his court had 90 minutes to highlight the reasons for his request to grill the premier. Shaikh Nasser then had 30 minutes to answer the charges. The session was afterwards suspended for 15 minutes to give the MPs time to pray. In the second part of the grilling, both Al Mislim and Shaikh Nasser each had 30 minutes to explain their stances.

The unprecedented quizzing of a prime minister in Kuwait took place behind closed doors after the government’s call for secrecy was supported by 40 voices, a combination of ministers and lawmakers, while 23 voices called for a public session.

Shaikh Nasser has for the last weeks insisted that he was ready for the quizzing and that he had nothing to hide.

But, MP Musallam Al Barrak just before the quizzing said that fellow lawmakers would submit a non-cooperation motion against the premier if there was enough evidence supporting the charges against him.

None of the four women elected this year for the first time to parliament approved a public quizzing of the premier.