On dissolving the Kuwaiti parliament
Kuwait, Politics, 5/6/1999

Kuwaiti parliament members and political groups accused the government of preparing the conditions which were conducive to the decision of the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, to dissolve the Nation's Council (the Parliament).

They said the justifications given by Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah and his deputy, Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad, for not maintaining cooperation with the council are "not objective nor sufficient."

This is however the first time when the nation's council in Kuwait has been dissolved constitutionally, which means it was dissolved in accordance with item 107 of the constitution. This provision calls for carrying out elections within two months in order to choose a new Nation's Council.

Nevertheless the step taken on Tuesday, which came following a special meeting of the council of the ruling al-Sabah family, reinforce claims by some Kuwaiti politicians that the Kuwaiti ruling authority does not want to have two "complete" consecutive councils in democratic practices.

The council of 1963 was followed by a forged elections in 1967, the council of 1971 was followed by dissolving the council of 1975 in 1976 in an unconstitutional way. The council of 1981 was followed by the dissolved council of 1985 in July 3, 1986, suggesting that Kuwait had totally divorced itself from the process of democracy. The Kuwaiti politicians added that the crisis of the Iraqi occupation forced the authorities to go back to the constitution and to implement it in October 1992. Once again the "second council" was not completed, as the already-dissolved council was elected in 1996.

People's reaction to this new measure was mostly encouraging on the ground that the "authority still plays within the frame of the constitutions" and that the people's political participation will be resumed within two months.

Members of the dissolved parliament said they honor the decision of Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, hoping that the forthcoming elections will open a better page in the history of the Kuwaiti democracy.

Other parliament members expressed their fear that the decision to dissolve the parliament will be used as a "sword on the neck of the second council" and a step always taken before by the authorities against any real practice of Kuwaiti political opposition.

The recent tensions between the government and the parliament erupted following the persistence of the opposition parliamentarians to investigate Minister of Finance Sheikh Salem Ali al-Sabah and to open the files of the Kuwaiti economy most of whose institutions are run by the Kuwaiti government.

What is left to be mentioned is that the Kuwaitis -- at least those who are interested in politics -- will have to change their habits of traveling in the summer to guarantee that they will be available in the last week of June and the first week of July in the country to witness the electoral battle under a temperature not likely to be less than 47 degrees, when the political temperature may not be less.

Previous Stories:
  Kuwaiti Nation's Council to be dissolved for elections following controversy   (5/5/1999)
  Emir of Kuwait confers with Japanese trade minister   (5/5/1999)
  Kuwaiti government and National Assembly face off over print of Quran   (5/4/1999)

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