Kuwait set to hold snap parliamentary elections on April 4

Kuwait will hold snap parliamentary elections on April 4, coinciding with the last days of Ramadan.

The cabinet approved a decree from Emir Sheikh Meshal “inviting voters to elect the National Assembly on Thursday, April 4”, government spokesman Amer Al Ajmi said.

The registration process for candidates will begin on Monday, he added.

Sheikh Meshal issued a decree this month to dissolve parliament. The decree was reported by state news agency Kuna and accused parliament of constitutional breaches, including using “offensive and inappropriate” language.

The announcement came after ministers boycotted a parliamentary session to object to a speech given a week earlier by MP Abdul Karim Al Kandari.

Sheikh Meshal became Emir after his predecessor Sheikh Nawaf died in December.

The dissolution of parliament was announced as the country faced political deadlock that has prevented parliament from passing reforms to diversify the economy. Budget deficits and low foreign investment have also caused frustration.

Sheikh Meshal said after taking the oath of 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 told MPs at the time.

The National Assembly has been dissolved twice since December 2020 and one election was nullified.

Kuwait’s constitution states that elections must take place within two months of the dissolution of parliament.

Observers have raised concerns that the coming national poll faces a low voter turnout, particularly because it is to be held during the holy month.

“Kuwaitis are in fatigue mode,” said Bader Al Saif, an assistant professor of history at Kuwait University.

Voting on April 4 will be held without an election commission, after the National Assembly’s new election law was suspended until October 1 under a decree issued last week.

Sheikh Meshal’s decree said the previous election law would be reinstated in the interim.

The National Assembly had issued a law to appoint a new independent authority to oversee parliamentary elections as part of political reforms.

“It was impossible to appoint judges to lead the commission within a short time as required by the suspended law,” the decree said.