"All the ministers have submitted their resignations to the prime minister to enable him to prepare for the requirements for the next stage," said State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah, the government spokesman.

"The prime minister decided to refer the issue to the emir to take whatever steps necessary to serve national interests," said Sheikh Mohammad, cited by the official KUNA news agency.

Earlier, parliament speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem told reporters he had received an official government letter informing him that all 15 ministers had tendered their resignations.

The speaker also said the government would not participate in a parliament session scheduled for Tuesday, which has now been called off.

Kuwaiti media reported last week that Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, was preparing a major reshuffle.

The ministerial resignations came almost at the same time as the constitutional court rejected two petitions to nullify July parliamentary polls and dissolve the five-month old assembly.

The ruling, which cannot be challenged, means that the current parliament may become the first since 2003 to complete a full four-year term.

The cabinet was formed in early August following a snap parliamentary election called after the constitutional court nullified a previous poll and scrapped parliament on procedural grounds.

Some ministers had come under fire from MPs, who filed nearly a dozen requests to grill members of the government, including the prime minister.

Since early 2006, the oil-rich Persian Gulf state has been in almost continuous political crisis, with a dozen cabinets quitting and parliament dissolved six times.

NJF/NJF