Kuwait pm submits cabinet resignation with parliament.

In the most recent impasse between the administration and the elected parliament, Kuwait Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah presented the resignation of his cabinet to the nation’s crown prince on Monday.

After dissolving the previous parliament to put a stop to squabbles that were impeding economic reforms, Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who has assumed most of the emir’s responsibilities, appointed Sheikh Ahmad as premier and announced early legislative elections last year.

Parliamentarians pushed for a debt relief bill, under which the state would purchase Kuwaiti citizens’ personal loans, and tried to interview two ministers, which led to a recent resurgence of tensions between parliament and the government, which was sworn in last October.

According to a cabinet statement, the prime minister gave the crown prince a letter of resignation “due to the status of the relationship between the executive and legislative authorities”.

Tuesday had been set aside for the start of parliament.

The head of the parliamentary committee overseeing financial and economic affairs, MP Shuaib Al Muwaizri, had stated on Twitter on Sunday that debt relief for individuals would be considered until the government “officially presents just alternatives” to raise salaries, pensions, and social assistance for Kuwaitis.

The affluent oil-producing country in the Gulf has been working to improve its state finances as part of structural changes, including a debt bill that would enable the state to access global markets but has run into legislative impasse.

In Kuwait, which is largely dependent on oil earnings, has a vast welfare system, and a public sector that employs around 80% of its inhabitants, political squabbling has for years prevented investment and changes. Less than a third of Kuwait’s 4.6 million inhabitants are Kuwaitis.

The country, which forbids political parties but has granted its legislature more power than comparable bodies in other Gulf monarchies, saw significant advances made by opposition figures in the September parliamentary elections.

By awarding amnesties to political dissidents, cracking down on alleged corruption, and reorganising several important institutions, Kuwait’s leadership has attempted to quell political unrest.