KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s first woman minister Maasuma al Mubarak took the oath in parliament on Monday to become a member of the otherwise all-men house amid noisy protests by Islamist lawmakers. Under Kuwaiti law, a minister automatically becomes an ex-officio member of parliament with the same rights as elected MPs except for votes on no-confidence motions against ministers.

As Ms Mubarak began to read the oath, a number of Islamist and tribal MPs began screaming and banging on their desks. But she looked unbothered as she continued to read the oath.

The MPs claimed Ms Mubarak’s appointment was unconstitutional as she has not been registered as a voter. They said electoral law requires members of parliament, including ministers, to be registered voters.—AFP