Many candidates expected to reject invite into 'short-term Cabinet'

KUWAIT: Consultations made by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to form his new Cabinet are not expected to be finished before two weeks, said governmental sources, noting that Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled has a long list of parliamentarians, academics and politicians he can invite to join the cabinet. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled has at least three nominees per portfolio, the sources added, noting that the likelihood that the first and second candidates might reject the position and having to opt for the third "is a process that would take over two weeks" to be finalized.

Further, the sources pointed out that the nominees' list was set that long in anticipation of the expected rejections because the new government would have a very short tenure, probably less than a year, before parliamentary elections take place by November 2020. "Some opposition parliamentarians were invited to join the Cabinet, but they have so far been ejecting the idea," the sources highlighted, noting that it is most likely that the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) would be represented in the Cabinet through appointing M, Mohammed Al-Dallal as justice minister and minister of state for national assembly affairs.
The sources predicted that the Islamic Salafi Alliance (ISA) would be represented by a technocrat minister for public works, housing or services. "As for sheikhs to be appointed as ministers, the matter is up to the decision of the ruling family council," they explained, noting that sheikh Abdullah Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah tops the list of candidates for the defense minister's position so far. Meanwhile, several parliamentary committees suspended their work because many of the issues on their agendas require the presence of ministers to explain the government's points of view in the proposed bills, which is undoable with the current caretaker Cabinet that has limited liabilities and authorities.

By A Saleh