Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah is highly expected to submit his government’s resignation shortly after it became evident that the Cabinet is unable to work in harmony with the opposition-dominated National Assembly.

Lawmakers from the opposition, which controls a comfortable majority, meanwhile called on the prime minister to appoint a large number of MPs in the new Cabinet in order to get the required support from the Assembly.

The new developments came after the social affairs and labour minister Ahmad Al-Rujaib submitted his resignation to the prime minister, becoming the second minister to quit the four-month old Cabinet. HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah accepted the resignation and appointed Communications Minister Salem Al-Othaina as acting minister in the portfolio, KUNA said, citing a decree.

Rujaib was apparently forced to step down after opposition MPs submitted two grillings against him, both claiming wide-ranging irregularities in his ministry. The two grillings were scheduled to be debated on June 20 and were highly expected to be followed with no-confidence motions which were expected to succeed.

The prime minister appears to be contemplating whether to offer the resignation of the whole Cabinet or carry out a limited reshuffle that is expected to include the oil and defense ministers besides the social affairs and finance ministers.

Former finance minister Mustafa Al-Shamali resigned last month after a marathon grilling over allegations of financial and administrative irregularities that he categorically denied.

Several opposition MPs called on the prime minister to include a good number of opposition lawmakers in the new Cabinet but they differed on the numbers.

MP Musallam Al-Barrak said the opposition needs at least nine ministers in the Cabinet so as to have a say on decisions in the 16-member Cabinet in order to be able to carry out the development projects they had promised during the election campaign.

Commenting on reports that the Cabinet was expected to resign, Barrak said that “we are not concerned about whether it will resign or not but we will grill any minister who we think is not fit”.

He added that after the resignation of two ministers and reports that ministers from the ruling family have offered to resign, “it is an opportunity for the prime minister to form a national salvation government with the parliamentary majority”.

Barrak said that the opposition majority is prepared to take part in the new government with at least nine ministers and not lower than this.

Islamist opposition MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei also demanded nine ministers but said the number should be negotiable. Liberal MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari said that there should be at least six ministers from the opposition or the premier should form a national salvation Cabinet including all political groupings.

MP Faisal Al-Mislem said that the only fundamental remedy for Kuwait’s crisis is by introducing constitutional reforms, adding that the opposition will prepare the required amendments to the constitution and study them with other groups before submitting them officially at the start of the next term in October.

The Assembly’s legal and legislative committee meanwhile approved two key amendments to the internal charter of the Assembly, head of the committee MP Tabtabaei said.

The first amendment allows the Assembly to hold sessions without the need of the presence of ministers, which is a precondition currently under the charter.

The second amendment prevents the Assembly from delaying grillings of ministers for more than a month.

It states that ministers have the right to delay the grilling debate for two weeks and again for a similar period with the approval of the Assembly which cannot be extended further.