KUWAIT: An Amiri decree was issued on Wednesday announcing the new Cabinet line-up which included 11 new faces and retained only three members of the outgoing government, appointing a non-ruling family foreign minister for the first time in Kuwait’s history. HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah swore in the 14-member Cabinet headed by new Prime Minister HH Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who served as foreign minister for a decade until 2011.

Almost all the ministers are technocrats with half of them holding doctorate degrees in their field and others are long-serving government bureaucrats. And for the first time in Kuwait’s 60-year-old parliamentary democracy, Abdullah Al-Yahya, a non-ruling family member, was appointed as foreign minister. He is a former ambassador. This post has always been given to senior members of the Al-Sabah family. A few years ago, Anas Al-Saleh, also a non-ruling family member, was appointed as interior minister for the first time ever.

After the swearing-in ceremony, HH the Amir called on the new Cabinet to adopt an “open door” policy with people, strengthen the fight against corruption and adopt accountability against all those who commit mistakes. HH the Amir also called on the Cabinet to comply with the constitution, apply the law, safeguard the country’s security and adopt justice and equality. He also called for adopting the banner of reforms and development, based on action, monitoring and accountability. HH Sheikh Mishal urged the government to cooperate with the National Assembly.

HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad said a new economic course will be adopted and will be based on fighting corruption, safeguarding national gains, restructuring government agencies and reforming education and health services. He said the country is entering a new era, and vowed that he and his team will work hard to serve national interests.

HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal also signed an order Wednesday bestowing the title “His Highness” upon Prime Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad. The order reads that the prime minister shall inform the National Assembly about this decree, which would come into effect from the date of its publication, and will be published in the official gazette.

HH Sheikh Dr Mohammad was named as prime minister two weeks ago after former premier HH Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah submitted his resignation on Dec 20, hours after HH the Amir took the oath as the new ruler. The new Cabinet however does not have a full-time interior minister after reports said former interior minister Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah declined to continue in the new Cabinet.

New Defense Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al-Sabah, a retired brigadier in the Amiri Guard, who replaced outgoing defense minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, was appointed as acting interior minister.

The entire economic team was changed. Emad Al-Atiqi, a professor of petroleum engineering, was appointed as oil minister. Anwar Al-Mudhaf, an experienced top banker, was appointed finance minister. Abdullah Al-Jouan, the chairman of the fund for small and medium enterprises, was given the commerce and industry portfolio. Noura Al-Meshaan, a US-educated civil engineering professor, was appointed minister of public works and municipality.

Salem Al-Hajraf, a specialist in renewable energy, was appointed minister of electricity and water and renewable energy, in addition to minister of state for housing. Adel Al-Adwani, a senior professor of information technology at Kuwait University, was appointed minister of education and higher education, and Faisal Al-Ghareeb, a government legal advisor, appointed minister of justice and Islamic affairs.

MP Dawood Maarafi, the only elected lawmaker in the Cabinet, was appointed minister of state for National Assembly affairs, minister of state for youth affairs and minister of state for communications. The ministers of information, health and social affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, Ahmad Al-Awadhi and Sheikh Feras Saud Al-Sabah, respectively, were retained from the outgoing Cabinet.

Under Kuwaiti law, the Cabinet can be of a maximum of 15 ministers in addition to the prime minister, which means that two more ministers can be appointed later if the prime minister wishes. The new Cabinet will not take the oath in the National Assembly before Feb 6, the next regular session of the Assembly.