Manama: Kuwait’s parliament on Tuesday voted to postpone the debate over the two motions filed by lawmakers to grill Prime Minister Shaikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah.
The government has requested the delay and 53 lawmakers agreed while eight refused, Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas reported. The debate was rescheduled for May 10.
On April 16, Shuaib Al Muwaizri and Riyadh Al Adasani filed a motion to grill the prime minister, saying their grilling motion would one issue and seven points related to the general policy of the state
The motion was the second to be filed against Shaikh Jaber in four days.
On April 12, lawmakers Waleed Al Tabtabai, Marzouq Al Khalifa, and Mohammad Al Mutyar submitted their five-point motion to the parliament’s office.
The two motions to grill the prime minister could signal a fiery confrontation between the government and lawmakers that could well result in the dissolution of the parliament.
Relations between the government and the parliament have been tense since November following the election of the lawmakers and the nomination of the cabinet ministers and the usual political honeymoon was particularly short.
Several lawmakers had attempted to reverse most of the decisions embraced by the outgoing parliament, claiming they did not serve the interests of the people.
Compromises between the lawmakers and the government were struck to avoid sliding the situation towards standoffs and the grilling of the prime minister.
However, when the parliament in early April rejected an opposition proposal to amend the law to bring the right to revoke citizenships under the Administrative Court, some lawmakers decided to go ahead with their grilling motions.
Options for the government to deal with the grilling motions include merging them into one, especially if they have common points, or referring them to the constitutional court to assess the compliance of some of the points raised with the constitution. A negative answer from the country’s highest court would void them.
