2024-04-08 14:59:34
The opposition in Kuwait maintained its majority in the National Assembly, following the official announcement, at dawn on Friday, of the results of the fourth parliamentary elections in four years and the first during the era of the Emir of the country, Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Polling stations closed at midnight on Thursday and Friday, after 12 hours allocated for the election process, in which the participation rate reached 62.10 percent of the 835,000 voters, more than half of whom were women, according to the Ministry of Information.
According to the official results published by the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the opposition kept its 29 seats out of 50, and 39 deputies from the dissolved National Assembly kept their seats, the majority of whom were Islamists, while eight former deputies lost their parliamentary representation.
The change included 11 candidates, two of whom were won by members of the opposition Popular Action Movement led by former MP and opposition figure, Musallam Al-Barrak.
Therefore, the new parliament is not much different from the previous parliament, as it also witnessed the return of the former Speakers of the National Assembly, Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Ahmed Al-Saadoun.
It is expected that the battle over the presidency of Parliament will intensify after the success of former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ahmed Al-Saadoun, and former President Marzouq Al-Ghanim, who are from two different political camps, in addition to the announcement of MP Fahd bin Jamea, a prominent tribal leader, of his intention to run for the same position, according to Reuters. .
Badr Al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University, told Agence France-Presse that “a radical change in the results was not expected,” considering that “this is one of the lowest percentages of change.”
The slight change in Parliament after the last vote indicates that the political impasse will continue, according to Saif, who saw that “there is a new confrontation in preparation.”
The results revealed that MP Abdul Karim Al-Kandari topped the list of representatives of the third electoral district in terms of votes, as he achieved more than 9,000 votes.
The Emir of Kuwait dissolved the National Assembly in mid-February due to his insult during a parliamentary session, which included MP Al-Kandari’s response to a speech by the Emir in which he accused Parliament and the government of harming the country.
The ministers interpreted Al-Kandari’s statements at the time as an implicit insult to the Emir, who in his swearing-in speech demanded improving the performance of the executive and legislative branches.
200 male and female candidates competed in these elections, the lowest number in more than five decades, while the number of male and female voters reached about 835,000.
These are the second elections held during the month of Ramadan since the beginning of political life in Kuwait, and the fourth parliamentary elections in four years.
It also takes place less than a year after the last elections, which led to the opposition forces winning a majority of seats.
The results also showed the victory of eight Shiite representatives, while the Islamic Constitutional Movement won one seat and lost two seats, while the Salafist movement won nine seats, and Jinan Bushahri retained her seat, the only woman in Parliament.
Since the beginning of its parliamentary life 61 years ago, Kuwait has witnessed the dissolution of the National Assembly 12 times, and the repeated dissolution and holding of elections over the past years has left a state of frustration among Kuwaitis.
The National Assembly in Kuwait has greater influence than similar councils in other Gulf states, but political stagnation over decades has led to ministerial reshuffles and the dissolution of the council on more than one occasion.
Kuwait bans political parties, but Parliament has great powers compared to the rest of the Gulf states, including questioning the Prime Minister and ministers and approving, rejecting, and repealing laws. But the prince has the final say in the country’s affairs and has the power to dissolve Parliament.
Last updated: April 6, 2024 – 02:40
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2024-04-08 14:59:34