New Government in Kuwait Due to Take Oath Thursday

The new Kuwaiti government announced Wednesday is due to be sworn in Thursday. Eight newcomers, including a controversial minister are on board, said reports. 

The new cabinet, headed by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah, is the 20th government since the independence on June 19, 1961.  

The previous government resigned last month after it came under bitter criticism from the parliament, the only democratically elected legislature in the Gulf countries. 

The new oil minister was named as Adel al-Subaih, who's held several cabinet posts since 1997. 

In December last year, Subaih survived a no-confidence vote in parliament after intense questioning by opposition MPs. 

The foreign, interior and health portfolios remain unchanged. 

In the new government, four elected members of parliament have ministerial positions, compared with one in the previous cabinet. 

List of new cabinet in Kuwait 

The cabinet list follows (as published by AFP) 

-First deputy premier and foreign minister: 

Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (unchanged) 

-Deputy premier and defense minister: 

Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah (new) 

-Deputy premier and interior minister: 

Sheikh Mohammad Khaled al-Sabah (unchanged) 

-Deputy premier, minister of state for cabinet affairs, and 

minister of state for national assembly affairs: 

Mohammad Diefallah Sharar (unchanged) 

-Information minister: 

Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah (new) 

-Communications minister: 

Sheikh Ahmad Abdallah al-Sabah (lost finance) 

-State minister for foreign affairs: 

Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Sabah (new) 

-Health minister: 

Mohammad Ahmad al-Jarallah (unchanged) 

-Finance minister and planning minister: 

Youssef Hamad al-Ibrahim (moved from education) 

-Oil minister: 

Adel Khaled al-Sebeih (moved from electricity) 

-Education and higher education minister: 

Musaed Rashed al-Haroun (new) 

-Minister of commerce and industry: 

Salah Abdel Reda Khorshed (new, MP) 

-Minister of electricity and water, and minister of social  

affairs and labour: 

Talal Mubarak al-Ayyar (new, MP) 

-Minister of justice, and minister of awqaf and Islamic affairs: 

Ahmad Yacoub Baqer (new, MP) 

-Minister of public works, and state minister for housing affairs: 

Fahad al-Mai al-Azemi (new, MP) — Albawaba.com 

© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)