KUWAIT: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on Monday took the oath in the National Assembly to become the Deputy Amir during the absence of HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah abroad.

HH the Prime Minister pledged to respect the constitution and state laws, safeguard freedoms, interests and funds of the people of Kuwait, as well as the homeland’s independence and territorial sanctity, and be faithful to HH the Amir. National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun said that the swearing-in of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad as Deputy Amir established a new precedent in the country’s history.

The unprecedented move will remain valid until HH the Amir appoints a crown prince, according to an Amiri decree. Under the constitution, HH the Amir has one year to appoint a crown prince from Dec 20, 2023, when he took the constitutional oath to assume his duties as ruler of Kuwait. HH the Amir starts a state visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Before that, HH Sheikh Dr Mohammad and 13 ministers took the oath to become members of parliament in accordance with the law. The ceremony was held during a special National Assembly session. Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah was appointed as acting prime minister during the absence of HH the Amir abroad. Sheikh Fahad expressed gratitude towards the trust bestowed by the country’s leadership, saying it was a huge responsibility to execute all ministerial duties with utmost diligence.

Meanwhile, 36 MPs on Sunday called on the government to ask the International Human Rights Commission to convene an emergency session to discuss Zionist human rights violations in the Gaza Strip, where more than 26,000 civilians have been killed in the past four months in barbaric Zionist attacks.

The lawmakers called in a statement on the foreign ministry to ask the IHRC to form an international committee to investigate crimes against humanity committed by the Zionist entity against Palestinian civilians. Kuwait became a member of the IHRC since the start of the year.