Kuwaiti cabinet resigns, parliament dissolves

Kuwait's Cabinet resigned and its parliament was dissolved Sunday over a "lack of cooperation" among the country's branches of government, setting the stage for early elections.

Parliaments typically don't serve out their full terms in Kuwait, but lawmakers elected in last election in 2013 largely sided with the government, The Daily Star reported.

The drop in global oil prices has squeezed this major OPEC member to the point of cutting back on the country's many subsidies, stirring dissent.

Kuwait's state-run television station and its news agency announced the Cabinet resignation and the parliament dissolving Sunday afternoon, just a few hours after government officials held an emergency meeting.

In a decree, Kuwait's ruling emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah said "given the circumstances in the region ... and the security challenges" he had ordered the parliament dissolved. The statement did not elaborate.

Earlier Kuwaiti news reports about the government dissolving focused entirely on economic issues. The price of oil has been halved from heights of over $100 a barrel in the summer of 2014. Government-subsidized gasoline prices have been raised and other benefits have been cut, leading to growing dissent.

EA