Kuwait PM and government resigns
Kuwaiti opposition protesters hold a giant gavel as they demonstrate outside the Palace of Justice in Kuwait City in the early hours of November 27, 2011 against the arrest of pro-reform activists over charges of storming parliament last week. Protesters displayed a four-metre (yard) wooden gavel saying it is a replacement for the original gavel that parliament officials accused activists of stealing, which was one of the charges. AFP PHOTO/YASSER AL-ZAYYAT (Photo credit should read YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP/Getty Images)
Kuwait’s prime minister and his government resigned Monday after protesters and opposition deputies demanded he step down over corruption allegations, Reuters reported.
Tensions in Kuwait rose this month when lawmakers and protesters stormed parliament to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah, Reuters reported.
Read more at GlobalPost: Kuwaiti protesters storm parliament
"We decided to submit our resignation to comply with the national interest and due to the danger the situation had reached," the state television channel cited Sheikh Nasser as saying, Reuters reported.
Many of the protesters threatened to overthrow Sheikh Nasser’s government, who has had six previous governments torn down by opposition elements over the years, CNN reported. Despite parliament leaders trying to stop the protests, opposition leaders continuously vowed their efforts to take Sheikh Nasser out of office would escalate.
During his resignation, Sheikh Nasser accused parliamentarians of promoting disunity, doubting the integrity of the country’s leaders and fabricating unfounded accusations, CNN reported.
"Therefore, under these circumstances, it has become impossible for the government to pursue shouldering its responsibilities and fulfilling duties," he said, CNN reported.
While Sheikh Nasser accepted his resignation, he requested that the government stay in place until a new one is formed, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported. Sheikh Nasser was appointed in 2006 as Kuwait’s prime minister.
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