Kuwait's Emir, Sabah Al Ahmad, on Wednesday asked former prime minister Jaber al-Mubarak to form a new government, the official Kuwaiti News Agency reported.
Al-Mubarak - himself a member of the ruling al-Sabah family - resigned as prime minister on Monday, as required by Kuwait's constitution, following the election of a new parliament on December 1, dpa reported.
The newly elected National Assembly is composed entirely of supporters of the emir, following an opposition boycott of the polls in protest at a change to the electoral system.
Kuwait holds broadly free parliamentary elections, but effective power remains in the hands of the ruling family. The opposition, dominated by tribal and Islamist elements, has been pushing for a constitutional monarchy.