Kuwaiti constitution puts no time-limit for reforming Cabinet: Al-Kharafi
Mar 08, 2007
Arab Reform Initiative, Kuwait News Agency - The constitution does not include a single article setting a deadline to re-form the
Cabinet, said National Assembly (parliament) Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi on Wednesday.
In a press statement, Al-Kharafi believed that H.H. the Premier Sheikh Nasser Al-
Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah will re-form the Cabinet as soon as possible.
Earlier, a constitutional expert said the constitution's articles dealing with forming the
Cabinet stipulate forming it within two weeks to avoid a constitutional void.
Al-Kharafi said those articles had nothing to do with re-forming the Cabinet.
He noted that he had once again conferred this matter with the parliament's
constitutional experts who affirmed the nonexistence of such a time-limit, which means
the inaccuracy of any claims about a constitutional void.
He hoped the Cabinet will not abuse the lack of a deadline, adding that H.
H. the Premier will take that into consideration and will do his best to finalize the reformation
as soon as possible.
The Cabinet's resignation does not lead to a political void, especially that ministers were
allowed to continue carrying out urgent affairs of their ministries, he explained.
Deciding what is urgent or not is up to the relevant minister to decide and this is not the
first time a cabinet is in-charge of handling urgent affairs, he said.
As for the Cabinet's apology from attending meetings of parliamentary committees, Al-
Kharafi said attendance is relevant to the meetings' significance and if the matter is not
urgent, it can wait until the new Cabinet is formed.
Because it presents a new team, the new Cabinet has to present a program, said Al-
Kharafi who added that the upcoming Cabinet has the right to stick to the previous
program or come up with a new one.
The constitutional expert said the new cabinet has to be formed within two weeks in
accordance with Kuwaiti constitution's articles 57, 83, 87, 106, 111 and 129.
However, these articles address the issue of forming a Cabinet within two weeks at the
beginning of a legislative term and the Parliament's congregation after the elections. The
articles do not address re-forming a Cabinet after its resignation during a term.