Stand off continues in Kuwait parliament

Kuwait, the stand off between the Government and the Islamist opposition dominated parliament continues. A scheduled parliament meeting was cancelled on Wednesday after the cabinet boycotted it following a row over the plans by opposition MPs to quiz the embattled finance minister.

Local media and analysts reported that the Finance Minister Mustapha al-Shamali may step down rather than face a vote of no confidence. But, the Information Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Mubarak Al-Sabah made it clear that the Finance Minister Mustapha al-Shamali will not resign before being quizzed by opposition on charges of financial irregularities in departments under his control.

Shamali has repeatedly rejected the allegations and said he was willing to face questions as per the parliamentary rules. The cabinet walked out of the session on Tuesday, saying the current plan to question Shamali was unconstitutional. On Wednesday, the cabinet did not arrive for the session, indicating a simmering tension between Kuwait's government and parliament.

The new parliament was constituted after the snap polls in February in which majority of the seats were won by the Islamist opposition.