Kuwait to return to polls as assembly dissolved

Kuwait could hold its next parliamentary election on the Saturday that falls in the last 10 days of Ramadan or one day before the constitutional deadline, the government’s legal committee said.

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal dissolved the National Assembly on Thursday due to disagreements between the newly formed government and members of parliament, resulting in a deadlock in the nation.

Under Kuwait’s constitution, the election must be held within two months of the decree to dissolve parliament.

Ramadan is expected to begin on either March 10 or 11, and the last Saturday of the holy month on April 6.

The dissolution of the National Assembly, which was elected last June, followed a proposal by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al Salem that was approved by the cabinet, the Kuna news agency said.

Political deadlocks have prevented politicians from passing reforms to diversify the economy.

Sheikh Meshal warned after taking office that there was “no room” for settling political scores between the legislative and executive branches of government.

“We went through a period of a lack of co-operation between the legislative and executive branches of government and now there is no room for wasting time, effort and opportunities in conflicts and the settling of scores,” Sheikh Meshal said.

In his inaugural speech, he called on the parliament and the cabinet to fulfil their “national obligations”.

The cause of the dissolution of parliament this time “is the most personalised compared to previous dissolution decrees”, Bader Al Saif, an assistant professor of history at Kuwait University, told The National.

Kuwait’s National Assembly has been dissolved several times in recent year, with the country’s Constitutional Court last year annulling a 2022 decree overturning another such annulment.

The country’s late Emir Sheikh Nawaf then annulled parliament again and held an election for a new parliament, which itself has now been annulled following Thursday’s decision.

That means Kuwaitis are now expected to head to the polls for the fourth time in four years.

Mr Al Saif warned that political fatigue in the next election would be a big problem.

“Kuwaitis are in fatigue mode and hyper voting is no solution,” he said.