Woman's right a test for democracy in Kuwait, tomorrow
Kuwait, Politics, 7/4/2003

Elections of the Kuwaiti Ummah council ( the parliament ) tomorrow are an indicator making it "historical" in the March of the country, which is the oldest democratically among the Gulf states.

Despite the political vividness reflected in the political competition, however, there is almost a consensus complaint of the "Stalemate" and fears that this election will not be conducive to a real developmental workshop for the Kuwaiti political atmosphere which is still overloaded by implications of the Iraqi war.

This, however, embodies in the "stumbled" characterized the government's performance during the past years, a situation which several candidates for the elections and analysists held it as the responsibility of what they called "authorization." It is a hint which entitled the "authorizations" enjoyed by the Kuwaiti deputy premier and foreign minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah. There is a sort of criticism on the "duality" of being a crown prince and holding the Cabinet premiership, two posts acquired by crown prince Sheikh Saad al- Abdullah al-Sabah.

Since several days, the Kuwaitis are preoccupied by following up news leaked from the Hukamaa ( wise men ) of al-Sabah family which was held several days ago. It stated that the meeting dealt with separating the post of the crown prince from the presidency of the Cabinet, a demand advocated by Islamists and Liberals.

No governmental source confirmed that a decision was taken to separate the two posts, nor one single paper ran the risk to confirm this news despite the analysis which talked about Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad assuming the presidency of the new government after the issuance of the parliamentary elections on Sunday with Sheikh Saad to assume as usual the post of the Crown Prince together with keeping his authorities of forming the governments.

However, the special interests on the political rights for the Kuwaiti women, also make tomorrow's parliamentary elections the most important incident following independence, especially when it comes to reality on what was stated by Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad when he said that the new Nation's Council (parliament) "will approve the political rights of women so as Kuwait will not be backward from the procession of brothers in the Gulf state and the world."

It is, however, an established fact in the mind of the Kuwaitis that foiling the decree issued by the Amir of Kuwait in 1999 provided for giving women their political rights, was not only the responsibility of Islamists. There were among the Islamists ones who supported the decree. There were tribal men who opposed it strongly, even certain liberals opposed it under the pretext that conditions were not ripe enough to endorse it.

Observers and analysists approved that Saturday's elections, will result, as usual, to a change in half the members of the parliament and hence 60% of members of the Ummah council are expected to be changed because the hopes of the Kuwaitis to the change are big and the internal desire to make a change also coincided with an external desire for great "reforms" after the occupation of Iraq.

Previous Stories:
  Straw concludes a visit to Kuwait   (7/3/2003)
  Private TV stations licensed in Kuwait   (7/3/2003)
  Kuwait: a candidate for parliament promises to permit breweries   (7/3/2003)

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