Post by Salem6 on Nov 25, 2008 13:02:57 GMT
The government of Kuwait has tendered its resignation, members of the country's parliament have said.
Ministers resigned en masse to see off parliamentary grilling
The move would end demands by some MPs to question the prime minister over the recent visit of an Iranian Shia cleric accused of insulting Sunni Muslims.
Three Islamist MPs took offence to remarks the cleric made about some companions of the Prophet Muhammad.
There was no immediate confirmation that the government's resignation had been accepted by the emir.
However, the apparent resignation the latest in a series of political crises in Kuwait.
Ministers led by the Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmad al-Sabah, walked out of parliament as it was about to set a date for the questioning session.
Without the government in attendance, parliament is not able to proceed with any business.
Dissolution?
In the past, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah has reshuffled governments or dissolved parliament to head off questioning sessions and the votes of confidence that often follow.
MPs are unable to question the same minister for the same reason following a ministerial reshuffle. The current cabinet is the third formed since March 2007.
The Kuwaiti parliament has a reputation for being one of the most independent of any in the Gulf states.
But the willingness by some MPs to question the prime minister, a member of the royal family, is still controversial.
The three Islamist lawmakers have not confined their criticism of the prime minister to theological matters.
They have also accused him of corruption and allowing public services to deteriorate.
There are fears that another political crisis in this oil-producing state could further delay key economic reforms intended to respond to the global economic slowdown.
The government had hoped to pump extra cash into the Arab world's second largest stock exchange and to set up a new financial regulatory system.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7747631.stm