Emir Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Sabah on 4 January appointed Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah as Kuwait’s new prime minister. This follows the 20 December resignation of his predecessor Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah amidst harsh criticism from the new Emir (MEES, 22 December 2023). The 68-year-old Sheikh Mohammed is from the next generation of the ruling Al Sabah family.
The new PM holds a PhD in economics from Harvard, and previously served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister as well as short stints as finance and oil minister. Most notably, he resigned as foreign affairs minister in 2011 due to his concerns with government corruption. That corruption scandal prompted the infamous ‘storming’ of parliament by protestors and the resignation of prime minister Nasser Mohammed Al Sabah (MEES, 5 December 2011). (CONTINUED - 225 WORDS)