KUWAIT CITY, FEB 5 (AP/UNB) - Kuwait's caretaker prime minister has stepped down to clear the way for a new government after parliamentary elections dominated by hard-line Islamists and other opposition groups.

The official Kuwait News Agency says the Gulf nation's emir accepted the resignation Sunday of Sheik Jaber Al Hamad Al Sabah, a former defense chief who was appointed in November amid intense political turmoil that forced elections.

The emir will appoint the new government, and is expected to keep key posts in the hands of the ruling family.

But Western-allied leaders also will face pressure to give a stronger role for opposition forces.

Islamists and conservative tribal allies took the majority of seats in Kuwait's 50-member parliament in Thursday's voting.