Kuwait’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah on 17 January presented his new cabinet to Emir Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Sabah, less than two weeks after his appointment earlier this month (MEES, 5 January). The new 13-minister formation is noticeably technocratic with six members holding PhDs, in addition to the PM himself. This signals Sheikh Sabah’s intent to attempt implementing much-needed reforms following the new Emir’s sharp criticism of Kuwait’s dysfunctional politics (MEES, 22 December 2023).
Strikingly, the cabinet lacks senior members of the Al Sabah ruling family, who took just two ministerial posts. The traditionally Sabah-filled foreign affairs position was allocated to Abdullah al-Yahya, a former ambassador. (CONTINUED - 215 WORDS)