(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Kuwaiti lawmakers, activists, and thousands of pro-democracy protesters called on the emir of the oil-rich Persian Gulf emirate to fire the prime minister and the parliament.
In the biggest anti-government demonstration so far ever this year, over 10,000 protesters protested loudly on Wednesday in the capital Kuwait City as speaker after speaker lashed out at Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, AFP reported.
"Your highness, corruption under the governments of Sheikh Nasser has reached new highs ... Your highness the country is at risk ... the premier does not deserve to stay," said lawmaker Faisal al-Muslim, addressing the emir, while saying that the populace sought the removal of the premier and the parliament.
The prime minister, who was appointed in February 2006, is a member of the ruling family and nephew of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the emir.
Since the start of popular uprisings elsewhere in the region, namely Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, earlier this year, Sheikh Nasser has been under increasing pressure from opposition and protesters to relinquish the post.
The recent demonstrations have started in the wake of a USD-multi-million corruption scandal involving some 15 lawmakers in the 50-member legislature and other government officials.
Kuwait's key affairs are run by the ruling Al-Sabah family, but it has one of the region's most politically-active parliaments.
Addressing the demonstrators, MP Mussallam al-Barrak also asserted that Sheikh Nasser was incompetent and could not be trusted with leading the government.
He accused the prime minister of having made 485 'suspicious money transfers' mostly to Geneva, London, and New York since April 2006.
The graft scandal started to trouble Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah on Tuesday after a leading opposition lawmaker accused the government of using Kuwaiti Embassies to practice money-laundering.
A parliamentarian among the protesters warned the government that the demonstrations would continue until the fall of Sheikh Nasser's government.
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19 October 2011 - 20:30
News ID: 273043
Kuwaiti lawmakers, activists, and thousands of pro-democracy protesters called on the emir of the oil-rich Persian Gulf emirate to fire the prime minister and the parliament.
