Kuwait appoints new oil, defence ministers in latest cabinet

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Kuwait formed its fifth government in less than a year, naming new oil and defence ministers.

Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Sabah, the eldest son of Kuwait’s ruler, heads the line-up, which includes Saad Al-Barrak as the country’s eighth oil minister in as many years.

Al-Barrak, a former chief executive of Zain known for turning the Kuwaiti telecoms company into a global giant, has in the past been critical of government bureaucracy. He was also named state minister for economic and investment affairs.

Profiles of new cabinet lineup, led by His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf https://t.co/XfAuRUbl8I#KUNA #KUWAIT

— Kuwait News Agency – English Feed (@kuna_en) June 18, 2023

Manaf Al-Hajeri, the fifth finance minister since 2020, was reappointed and heads up Kuwait Investment Authority, which manages the country’s sovereign wealth fund that’s valued at more than $700bn.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, a leading member of the ruling family, was named defence minister, filling a post that’s been vacant for about nine months.

The country earlier this month held parliamentary elections for the third time in less than three years. Opposition lawmakers with ties to the prime minister now dominate the new National Assembly. This could help pave the way for smoother relations between the government, whose members are appointed by the ruling family, and elected legislators.

Read: Kuwait names new finance minister in latest cabinet line-up