KUWAIT: As many as 41 of the 50 new MPs held an informal meeting on Sunday and agreed in principle on a number of key issues that must be approved in the shortened term, MP Saud Al-Asfour said. Asfour said five more lawmakers said they couldn’t attend the meeting because they were outside the country.

Asfour said that lawmakers agreed to tackle during the shortened term issues like raising the cost of living allowance for Kuwaitis, amending the election commission law and extending the power of the judiciary to citizenship issues, in addition to amending the election law. The lawmaker said more meetings will be held by lawmakers and between MPs and the government to agree on these issues.

MP Saleh Ashour said he did not attend because not all MPs were invited to the meeting held inside the National Assembly. Local media reported MPs Marzouq Al-Ghanem, Obaid Al-Wasmi and Ahmad Al-Fadhl were not invited.

The meeting came amid reports that caretaker Prime Minister HH Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah has dropped his rejection to forming a new government and is expected to be renamed as head of government. There has been no official comment on this development.

Before the Eid Al-Fitr break, it was reported that HH Sheikh Dr Mohammad, who was appointed as premier just three months ago, declined to form the next government following snap parliamentary polls which brought back an overwhelming majority of the opposition in the dissolved house.

Local media also quoted some MPs as saying that lawmakers have eased their opposition to a decree that postponed the opening session to May 14 after earlier setting it for April 17. MPs said the opening session should be held on April 21 and attendance is optional, which means an approval of the May 14 inaugural session.

A large number of MPs meanwhile have called for strengthening national unity and standing solidly behind the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in light of regional tensions after Iran launched missile attacks on the Zionist entity.