Kuwaiti Parliament Dissolved by Royal Decree for a Second Time

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Facts

  • Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah issued an Emiri decree on Monday that dissolved the country's parliament, which was only recently reinstated in March based on a Constitutional Court ruling after a prior dissolution last year.1
  • Kuwait's state news agency reported that the cabinet submitted the decree to the Crown Prince earlier on Monday before it was approved.2
  • Sheikh Meshal announced in April that the National Assembly will be dissolved and that new elections will be held sometime in the coming months.2
  • Sheikh Meshal said last month that the "will of the people" required new elections that would be "accompanied by some legal and political reforms to take the country to a new phase of discipline and legal reference," though he did not elaborate on the reforms' details.1
  • This most recent political dispute was kicked off last year when the opposition won a majority in the September 2022 polls, claiming 28 seats in the 50-member assembly. Kuwait’s Constitutional Court, however, ruled that the polls were null and that the prior assembly must be reinstated.3
  • Last year's dissolution of parliament was in response to a conflict between the lawmaking body and the ruling family, which appoints the prime minister and the cabinet, with it being centered on proposed fiscal reforms meant to make Kuwait less dependent on oil revenue.4

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Asharq AL, 3AA, and 4The Media Line.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera. Kuwait, one of the more politically-open countries in the Gulf region, must maintain a delicate balance between the authority of the royal family and the elected parliament. Indeed, the country is in serious need of reforms. The constant political infighting between the royal family and government is putting the country's economic situation at risk and must be resolved.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Al Mayadeen English. Kuwait, like all the other Gulf monarchies, is an authoritarian state. Unlike the others, however, the country has a veneer of democracy that covers the ruling family's corruption, which is only hurting the country. Sheikh Meshal's interventions against the elected parliament will not lead to good results.