KUWAIT: Inmates imprisoned in the Abdaly cell case are welcomed after they were freed yesterday under the Amiri pardon. - Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday accepted the resignation of the government, tendered last week, and asked HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and his ministers to remain as a caretaker Cabinet until a new government is formed. The next step will be for HH the Amir to ask the outgoing prime minister to form the next Cabinet, which is the most likely scenario, or name a new premier to form the government.

Sheikh Sabah tendered the resignation of his Cabinet after approving two Amiri decrees to pardon 11 former opposition MPs and activists who have been living in exile in Turkey for over three years to escape jail terms for taking part in storming the National Assembly building following a protest in 2011. It also came after a national dialogue between the government and opposition lawmakers that resulted in recommending to HH the Amir to pardon opposition convicts and prisoners, which the Amir ordered.

Meanwhile, the two pardon decrees became effective yesterday when they were published in the official gazette. The first decree pardoned members of the opposition, who have been living in exile for years. They include prominent former opposition lawmakers Musallam Al-Barrak, Faisal Al-Mislem, Mubarak Al-Waalan, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Salem Al-Namlan and Khaled Al-Tahous, in addition to five opposition activists.

All the 11 were sentenced to several years in jail by the court of cassation in the summer of 2018 for storming the Assembly building. The first group of the pardoned politicians is scheduled to return to the country today, while the rest are expected to return in a few days. In his first interview since the sentence, Barrak told Sarmad online news service that he will continue to be the secretary general of the Popular Action Front opposition group. He thanked HH the Amir for pardoning them and all those who worked towards the pardon.

The second decree pardoned 24 Shiite prisoners who were jailed for giving shelter to members of a pro-Iran group convicted of plotting attacks on Kuwait, known as the Abdaly cell. Six of the prisoners were pardoned from serving the rest of their sentences. They included Shiite cleric Hussein Al-Maatouq. They were released from the Central Jail yesterday. The sentences of the remaining 18 prisoners were reduced by half.

MP Bader Al-Humaidi said the new Cabinet must reflect the new developments in the country as a result of the national dialogue and should cooperate with the Assembly. But two opposition MPs expressed their opposition to the reappointment of the prime minister to form the new Cabinet. MP Marzouq Al-Khalifa said the reappointment of Sheikh Sabah to lead the next Cabinet "will take us back to square one", adding that he will not cooperate with him.

MP Fares Al-Otaibi reiterated that he will not cooperate with Sheikh Sabah if he is appointed as premier. He added that the national dialogue committee equated between those who acted against the interests of the nation and those who defended the country.