Kuwait’s crown prince dissolves parliament, calls for new elections

Another political twist follows last month’s ruling by the Constitutional Court annulling the September elections and reinstating the 2020 assembly. The vote is expected in the coming months. The decision was justified by saying that it was “the will of the people” to ensure greater stability to the country.

Kuwait City (AsiaNews) – Kuwait’s Crown Prince, who enjoys extensive powers attributed by the emir, dissolved the recently restored National Assembly setting the stage for new parliamentary elections in the coming months.

This decision comes a month after the Constitutional Court annulled last September’s parliamentary election, in which the opposition made gains, and reinstated the previous legislature.

For some time, the Arab Gulf state, an OPEC member, has been grappling with an institutional crisis caused by a tug-of-war between the government and the National Assembly, which has hampered fiscal reforms.

Last year, the latter was dissolved to end feuding between the two branches of government, but an early election that did not bring stability.

"We decided to dissolve the 2020 National Assembly, which was reinstated by the Constitutional Court ... and we will call for holding general elections in the next months," said Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah in an address on behalf of the ruling emir, who has handed over most of his duties to him.

The crown prince added that the "will of the people" required new elections, plus “legal and political reforms to take the country to a new phase”, without specifying what changes he had in mind.

The Arab country, a US ally, has a consolidated budget and substantial revenues, but infighting and political gridlock have negatively impacted investment and reforms aimed at reducing heavy dependence on oil revenues.

Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah, the emir's son, resigned in January due to friction with the parliament elected last year. He was reappointed to the same post in March, and announced a new cabinet this month.

The emirate is a constitutional monarchy, with a parliamentary system of government, the oldest in the Gulf, with significant powers vested in the legislative branch, including passing and blocking laws, questioning ministers and presenting votes of no confidence against senior officials.

The 50 members of Kuwait’s National Assembly (Majlis al-ʾUmma al-Kuwaytiyy), who are elected every four years, can remove the prime minister and other ministers and, confirm the appointment of the crown prince and emir, whose throne is hereditary. Traditionally, its political line tends to be conservative.

The country’s resident population is about 4.4 million people, a majority of whom are expatriates without the right to vote and unlikely to obtain citizenship.

Its first parliament was elected in 1963, two years after independence from the United Kingdom on 19 June 1961.

The first Arab nation to adopt a constitution in 1962, Kuwait is among the world’s top oil exporters (90 per cent of fiscal receipts). Yet, it has been plagued by corruption and political instability, caused by conflict between parliament and the government, holding back its economic development.

• kuwait
• political instability
• crown prince
• elections
• national assembly
• parliament
• constitutional court