Kuwait parliament dissolved due to districting crisis
Kuwait, Politics, 5/23/2006

Kuwait's ruler Sabah al-Sabah on Sunday in what what claimed to be a growing political crisis because of debate over the creation of set number of election districts.

However, the parliament was dissolved when for the first time, the Kuwait Prime Minister Nasser Al-Sabah was to be forced to appear before the parliament, as it has a right to do under the Kuwaiti constitution.

19 members of the parliament had wanted to question the prime minister. The government had agreed to 10 electoral constituencies, down from current 25, but this was opposed by a large number of MPs.

KUNA noted that "The push-and-pull between the government's and the MPs' conception of how many constituencies there should be escalated when the government endorsed - on the May 15 legislative session - turning over a government draft resolution over the issue of the constituencies to the Constitutional Court. At a stormy session the next day the parliament with a majority of 33 votes approved the motion to have the issue turned over to the Court. However a cohesive group of 29 MPs remonstrated such a motion, deeming it a dilly-dallying tactic by the government to prolong the crisis over the constituencies. The government at that meeting eventually succumbed to the demands of the group of 29 by showing readiness to withdraw the request for shifting the entire issue to the Court. Later on the government requested a special parliamentary session to further discuss the issue of the constituencies. It would have been discussed today, May 22. However a group of three MPs, Ahmad al-Saadoon, Ahmad al-Melaifi, and Faisal al-Mislem, in a move countering the request by the government, submitted to the parliament a request" to question the parliament... The request to grill the prime minister would have been the first time in the political life of the nation that such a development would take place. The prime minister was seen by the three MPs as the all-important impetus behind the move to turn the controversial issue of the constituencies to the Constitutional Court. This prompted House Speaker Jassem al-Kharafi to set May 29 as the date the grilling of the prime minister would be discussed by the parliament as he hoped this whole debacle over the number of constituencies would die down. However the pitch of acrimony rose higher when the group of 29 MPs threatened to boycott the May 29 special parliamentary meeting, whereas a group of 19 MPs showed readiness to agree with the idea of grilling the prime minister but only if the government drew back from its request to turn the whole matter to the Court."

A New York Times report said that those who favor small constituencies (districts) want so in order that they can play on ethnic and tribal affiliation instead of focusing on issues and merit which a large district would force candidates to do, by having to rely on many groups' support instead of one group or tribe. Those who are opposed to tribal and ethnic influence wanted to have 5 districts.

The ruler said he dissolved the parliament to avoid a growing crisis and to allow for calm discussion and reassessment of the political situation. He set new elections for June 29.

Previous Stories:
  US government report on Kuwait's human rights   (3/15/2006)
  Kuwaiti parliament approves Nayef as crown prince   (2/21/2006)
  Kuwait: proposal to establish Jaber al-Ahmad Fund for the present generation   (2/16/2006)

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