Kuwaiti parliament dissolved

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KUWAIT CITY, March 19 (UPI) -- The emir of Kuwait Wednesday dissolved the National Assembly and called for new elections.

The action taken by Emir Sheik Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah followed this week's resignation of Prime Minister Sheik Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah and the rest of the Cabinet, Kuwait Times reported.

The newspaper said the country's Constitution provides for a new parliament to be elected within two months and that May 18 or May 19 were likely dates for an election.

A meeting of senior members of the al-Sabah ruling family recommended Crown Prince Sheik Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah be named the next prime minister, with his predecessor continuing to lead the caretaker Cabinet until the elections results are announced, the Times said.

The emir said the decision to dissolve the National Assembly after it had only been in place for 10 months was taken to "safeguard the security and stability of the nation." He said he wouldn't hesitate to take any other measure to preserve national interests.

The emir criticized members of the parliament for misusing constitutional powers by filing requests to question the prime minister, saying they were mostly personally motivated and ignored the interests of the people.

Five members of parliament had accused the prime minister of mismanagement, misuse of public funds and failure to run the country.