Kuwait's ruler has named a new Cabinet that makes no major changes in membership and reinstated the Finance Minister who resigned earlier this year under pressure from opposition lawmakers.
The failure to make even nominal changes is seen as a slap at the opposition. It comes less than two weeks after parliamentary elections were boycotted by anti-government factions, including hard-line Islamists, in a protest over change to the voting law. The December 1 election brought in a strongly pro-government parliament, but opposition groups staged near daily protests in the oil-rich Gulf nation.
The official Kuwait News Agency said on Wednesday the new government retained the incumbent Prime Minister, Oil Minister, and other top officials. It restored Mustafa al-Shamali to the finance portfolio. He resigned in May after facing questions about alleged cases of corruption.
