Kuwait's emir on Tuesday asked the outgoing prime minister to form a new government after the cabinet resigned to avoid possible questioning.

The old cabinet quit to avoid the grilling by parliament of three ministers, all members of the ruling Al-Sabah family, amid calls for political and economic reform.

Lawmakers had asked to question the ministers in the latest of a series of challenges by an unusually assertive Arab parliament that have delayed important economic reforms.

Kuwait's parliament, the most outspoken in a region, has triggered numerous cabinet resignations or reshuffles through questioning.

The Gulf state's emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, issued a decree re-appointing Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah -- the ruler's nephew -- to form another cabinet, Kuna said. - Reuters