Hundreds protest corruption in Kuwait

Demonstrators call on speaker of parliament to step down

KUWAIT CITY: Hundreds protested in front of Kuwait's parliament on Wednesday evening against the state's perceived unwillingness to fight corruption, in a country where such events have periodically triggered political crises.

The demonstrators called on speaker of parliament Marzouq al-Ghanim to step down.

"Resign! Resign, Marzouq, the Kuwaiti people don't want you!", they chanted.

Other lawmakers have accused the speaker of corruption.

The protesters had been mobilised by former lawmaker Saleh al-Moulla, who used social media to call for a vigil, organised with permission from authorities, under the slogan "That's enough!"

Moulla told journalists that the mobilisation was "a message from the people and an expression of the unhappiness of the people in the face of corruption."

The demonstration came amid huge popular protest movements against corruption in Lebanon and Kuwait's neighbour Iraq.

"We want our government to stop stealing public money," protester Ahmed al-Douwaihi told AFP. "They have stolen our hopes and dreams."

Another protester, Abderrahman Hassan Al-Otaibi, said "we want stability in our country."

For lawyer and human rights advocate Mohammed al-Houmaidi, the initiative "is not led by any political movement, but by the population themselves who have come to flag their problems with housing, health and education".