NEW YORK - The emir of Kuwait dissolved Parliament yesterday, setting the stage for elections in the oil-rich Gulf nation that has faced some protests but has thus far resisted the revolutionary wave of the Arab Spring.
The dissolution decree by the emir, Sheik Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, reported by Kuna, the official news agency, followed the resignation of the prime minister, who faced what Kuna called “enormous obstacles’’ from some in the 50-member Parliament. The opposition had called for the dismissal of the prime minister, Sheik Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah, a member of the ruling family whom they accuse of corruption, which he denies.
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“Due to the deteriorating conditions that led to obstruction of process of achievements and threatened the country’s higher interests, it became necessary to resort to the people to select their representatives, overcome existing obstacles, and realize national interests,’’ the Kuwaiti leader said in a statement published by the news agency. The report did not specify when elections would be held; under Kuwaiti law, the emir must call for new elections within 60 days of dissolving Parliament.
An outspoken opposition movement exists in the Parliament and tensions had been mounting over the fate of the prime minister. Last month, dissent boiled into open protest as crowds overpowered guards and burst into the parliamentary chamber, while hundreds of sympathizers rallied outside. The catalyst for those protests appeared to be the government’s rejection of a request by some opposition lawmakers to question the prime minister about the use of public funds.
Yet sustained protests have not been seen in Kuwait, a leading oil exporter and important US ally, largely because the Sabah royal family, which has ruled since 1752, has responded to calls for political change with vast amounts of public spending and fuel subsidies for its population of 2.6 million people, including foreign-born workers. Most Kuwaiti citizens are employed by the state and pay no taxes.
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It was unclear whether dissolving the Parliament would succeed in quelling public outrage over corruption.