Kuwait Opposition Vows to Work to Oust PM

Kuwaiti opposition lawmakers have vowed to keep up their campaign to oust the prime minister who faces a key no-confidence vote on Thursday for having boosted ties with Iran.

"Yes, we have an agenda to rescue Kuwait from (Prime Minister Sheikh) Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who has destroyed the country," veteran opposition MP Ahmad al-Saadun told a gathering on Monday night.

"We will not let go because this concerns (safeguarding) Kuwaiti interests ... If the no-confidence motion does not pass, we will submit a new quiz on Thursday," said Saadun, a former three-time parliament speaker.

Sheikh Nasser, a senior member of the al-Sabah ruling family, faces allegations of having boosted ties with Shiite Iran at the expense of relations with the fellow Sunni Arab monarchies in the Gulf.

The prime minister is expected to comfortably survive the vote, the second bid to oust him in six months.

"We will continue to grill the prime minister until this government falls," Saadun told the gathering organized by the opposition to garner support for Thursday's vote.

Islamist MP Khaled al-Sultan warned that the future of the oil-rich state, bordered by regional powers Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia, was at stake because of policies adopted by the government.

"If this government continues in power, Kuwait, its people and the regime will be wiped off the map," Sultan told the gathering.

Sultan however said the opposition's dispute with the prime minister, a nephew of Kuwait's ruling emir, was not personal but because of his failure to lead the wealthy state.

"Between 2006 and 2011, Kuwait's budget increased from 10 billion dinars ($36 billion) to around 20 billion dinars ($72 billion) ... but no progress was achieved in development," Sultan said.

He said the country's corruption indicators had increased under Sheikh Nasser to unprecedented levels and public freedom curtailed, while spending was increased "just to keep his post."

Islamist MP Waleed al-Tabtabai said Kuwait was in danger of "falling into the arms of Iran."

Sheikh Nasser has been battling with the opposition since he was appointed in February 2006. He has since been forced to resign six times and three parliaments have been dissolved.

The emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, last week warned the opposition against political chaos and lashed out at persistent wrangling in parliament.