UPDATE - Kuwaiti info minister quits ahead of no-confidence vote

*UPDATES WITH APPOINTMENT OF TWO MINISTERS

By Mohamed Abdel-Ghaffar

KUWAIT CITY (AA) - Kuwaiti Minister of Information Salman Humoud al-Sabah -- who also served as minister of state for youth affairs -- resigned his positions on Tuesday ahead of a planned no-confidence vote in parliament.

"His resignation has been accepted by the cabinet," Parliament Speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem said in a statement.

"Wednesday’s scheduled no-confidence vote has therefore been cancelled," al-Ghanem added.

Ten lawmakers had called for a no-confidence vote against the minister in light of bans recently imposed on Kuwait by several sports federations amid allegations of government interference in sports affairs.

Twenty-five members of Kuwait’s 50-seat parliament had reportedly said they would support the no-confidence motion against the minister.

A successful vote of no-confidence -- which only needs the support of 25 MPs to pass -- would have led to the minister’s automatic dismissal.

Following the minister’s resignation, Kuwaiti Emir Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah appointed Mohamed Abdullah Mubarak, current state minister for cabinet affairs, to temporarily assume the information portfolio, Kuwait’s official KUNA news agency reported.

Commerce and Industry Minister Khaled al-Roudhan, meanwhile, was temporarily made minister of state for youth affairs, according to the news agency.