The separation of the two roles was a key demand not only of reformers, who suffered major losses in the early July parliamentary elections, but also those concerned about the effect of the ill health of Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah on decision-making processes. Recently Sheikh Sabah has taken over many of the crown prince's duties, including steering the economic reform programme.

There are six new faces in the cabinet, with most of the new appointments strengthening the diplomatic and reformist credentials of the government. The new finance minister is Mahmud Abd-al-Khaliq al-Noori, a former Kuwait Investment Authority official. Kuwait's former representative at the UN, Mohammed Abu al-Hasan, has been given the information portfolio.

The biggest change in the reshuffle was the merger of the Oil Ministry with the Electricity & Water Ministry. The new Energy Minister, Sheikh Ahmad Fahd al-Ahmad al-Sabah, will have several major projects under his care including Project Kuwait, the $7,000 million scheme to bring in international oil companies to help double oil production in the northern fields, and the first IWPP in Kuwait - the 2,500-MW, 125-million-gallon-a-day Al-Zour North project.

It remains to be seen what bearing the composition of the 50-seat parliament - which is skewed in favour of the 21 newly-elected Islamist MPs - will have on the status of women within the political process. Sheikh Sabah put a bill before the last parliament, which proposes allowing women the vote. But it has not yet been debated. An early decree by the Emir would have allowed women to stand and vote in elections, but it was thrown out shortly after the National Assembly reconvened in 2000.