Kuwait on Wednesday recently announced the forming of its new government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, making it the country’s first cabinet after the death of its previous ruler, Sheikh Nawaf, in December.
According to Kuwait’s state news agency, the Prime Minister appointed Anwar Ali Mudhaf as the new minister for finance, Abdullah Ali Al Yahya as the new foreign minister, and Emad Mohammed Al Atiqi as oil minister for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) producer.
Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who became the next Emir of Kuwait, is expected to uphold the country’s foreign policies and focus on top priorities, such as supporting Gulf Arab unity, Western alliances, and strong links to Riyadh.
The new government will have to deal with long-standing tensions between the ruling family and its impasse-ridden and divisive parliament, which critics claim to hinder fiscal and economic reform.
Kuwait’s legislative is more powerful than similar bodies in other Gulf monarchies, and the political deadlock has been the cause of many changes in the cabinet and the dissolutions of its parliament.
