Kuwait’s emir swore in a new government on Monday (December 11th), handing the defence ministry to his eldest son and appointing new oil and finance ministers, AFP reported.
The move comes weeks after the previous government, which had been formed a year ago, resigned following a dispute with members of parliament.
Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah issued a decree naming the new line-up with Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, staying on as prime minister.
Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the emir's eldest son, was appointed as first deputy premier and defence minister -- his first ministerial job, though he has been the head of the royal court since early 2006.
He is seen as the main driving force behind "Silk City," one of Kuwait's mega projects with investments estimated at more than $100 billion.
The 16-member cabinet features nine newcomers, including changes at the oil and finance ministries.
Bakheet al-Rasheedi, a former top oil executive, replaces the outgoing oil minister Essam al-Marzouk.
Nayef al-Hajraf, former head of the Capital Markets Authority, will take over the finance ministry from Anas al-Saleh, who was appointed as state minister for cabinet affairs.
