Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the parliament on Friday (May 10) and has taken some of its tasks upon himself, reported the country’s state media. The move comes weeks after the tiny nation along the Persian Gulf held its elections.&nbsp;

<h2>What did the emir say?</h2>

In a televised speech on Friday, the emir said he has also suspended several articles of the constitution and that the suspension may remain for a “period of no more than four years,” without elaborating.&nbsp;

Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, and the royal-appointed cabinet will assume some powers of the 50-member National Assembly, he said.&nbsp;

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“The unhealthy atmosphere experienced by Kuwait in previous years has encouraged the spread of corruption to reach most state facilities, and unfortunately it reached the security and economic institutions,” said the ruler, adding that “it has even affected the justice system”.

“We have faced difficulties and obstacles that cannot be tolerated,” said the Emir.&nbsp;

<h2>About the elections last month</h2>

Last month’s elections were the first to be held under Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah who came to power last December after the death of his half-brother and predecessor, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

The country, which is home to 4.2 million people and is also one of the wealthiest in the world on a per capita basis, is typically seen as one of the more democratic Gulf monarchies as elected officials also hold some real power.&nbsp;

However, Kuwait has reportedly witnessed a rise in domestic political turmoil as the assembly and the appointed government have been in a deadlock for decades which has led to cabinet reshuffles and dissolutions of parliament.&nbsp;

This deadlock has also reportedly prevented the enactment of basic reforms in the country.

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The elections in April were the fourth to be held in as many years, again after the emir dissolved parliament at short notice. The newly formed parliament was to meet for the first time on Monday (May 13), but several politicians had refused to participate in the government.

“Kuwait has been through some hard times lately...which leaves no room for hesitation or delay in making the difficult decision to save the country and secure its highest interests,” said the Emir.&nbsp;

Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah added that he would “never allow the misuse of democracy to destroy the state, because of the interests of the people of Kuwait, which are above all.”&nbsp;

 
(With inputs from agencies)

Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the parliament on Friday (May 10) and has taken some of its tasks upon himself, reported the country’s state media.

Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the parliament on Friday (May 10) and has taken some of its tasks upon himself, reported the country’s state media. The move comes weeks after the tiny nation along the Persian Gulf held its elections. What did the emir say? In a televised speech on Friday, the emir said he has also suspended several articles of the constitution and that the suspension may remain for a “period of no more than four years,” without elaborating. Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, and the royal-appointed cabinet will assume some powers of the 50-member National Assembly, he said. Also Read | Gaza war: Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international law, says Washington “The unhealthy atmosphere experienced by Kuwait in previous years has encouraged the spread of corruption to reach most state facilities, and unfortunately it reached the security and economic institutions,” said the ruler, adding that “it has even affected the justice system”. “We have faced difficulties and obstacles that cannot be tolerated,” said the Emir. About the elections last month Last month’s elections were the first to be held under Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah who came to power last December after the death of his half-brother and predecessor, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. The country, which is home to 4.2 million people and is also one of the wealthiest in the world on a per capita basis, is typically seen as one of the more democratic Gulf monarchies as elected officials also hold some real power. However, Kuwait has reportedly witnessed a rise in domestic political turmoil as the assembly and the appointed government have been in a deadlock for decades which has led to cabinet reshuffles and dissolutions of parliament. This deadlock has also reportedly prevented the enactment of basic reforms in the country. Also Read | 'Inject a little bleach': Biden roasts Trump's COVID cure at election fundraiser The elections in April were the fourth to be held in as many years, again after the emir dissolved parliament at short notice. The newly formed parliament was to meet for the first time on Monday (May 13), but several politicians had refused to participate in the government. “Kuwait has been through some hard times lately...which leaves no room for hesitation or delay in making the difficult decision to save the country and secure its highest interests,” said the Emir. Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah added that he would “never allow the misuse of democracy to destroy the state, because of the interests of the people of Kuwait, which are above all.” (With inputs from agencies)

Kuwait’s emir dissolves parliament, suspends some constitution articles after post-elections deadlock

Islamist-dominated opposition groups and their allies secured nearly half of the Kuwaiti parliament&#39;s seats, official election results showed Sunday, raising fears of fresh political wrangling in the oil-rich Gulf state.

The opposition and its allies won 24 of the assembly&#39;s 50 seats, the electoral authority announced following Saturday&#39;s snap election called after a dispute over the hiking of petrol prices. The Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition contested the election after a four-year boycott in protest over the government&#39;s amendment of the key voting system.

Around half of the opposition candidates who won seats are Islamists from a Muslim Brotherhood-linked group and Salafists. Voters dealt a heavy blow to candidates from the outgoing parliament, with more than half of them failing to make it into the new assembly.

Two of three cabinet ministers also failed in their bid for re-election. &quot;Surprise,&quot; read the main headline on the website of Al-Qabas newspaper, adding that the election had resulted in a &quot;62-percent change&quot; in the parliament.&nbsp;

One third of the members of the new parliament are relatively young and fresh on the political scene.

Only one woman was elected and the Muslim Shiite minority was reduced to six seats from nine in the previous house.

But despite the outcome, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah is set to ask the incumbent prime minister or another leading figure from the ruling family to form a new cabinet. &quot;I think this composition will lead to confrontations between opposition MPs and&nbsp;the next government,&quot; political analyst Mohammad al-Ajmi told AFP.

&quot;There are many issues that could spark disputes: economic measures, revoking of citizenships and others,&quot; said Ajmi.

In the past two years, the government revoked the citizenship of several leading opposition figures and their family members, citing various motives. The emir called the election after dissolving the previous parliament due to a dispute over increasing petrol prices. Hours after the results were issued, he congratulated the winners for the &quot;trust&quot; given to them by voters, wishing them success in &quot;serving the homeland&quot;.

Saturday&#39;s election saw a turnout of about 70 percent amid divisions over cuts in subsidies due to falling oil revenues.

&#39;Confrontations from day one&#39;?&nbsp; 
 
Analyst Dahem al-Qahtani said the opposition had made an &quot;impressive showing&quot;. &quot;Kuwaiti voters have punished those who let them down... and rejected the austerity measures,&quot; he told AFP.

Qahtani said for the government to prevent a standoff, it should make initiatives for cooperation with the opposition. &quot;If the government makes such initiatives, it may succeed in striking a needed political balance and avoid disputes,&quot; he said.

&quot;If not, confrontations could start from day one,&quot; Qahtani said.

Kuwait was rocked with a series of political crises between 2006 and 2013 when an entirely pro-government parliament was elected.

A majority of the elected MPs have openly said they would oppose any austerity measures by the government to boost non-oil income. The government&#39;s overwhelming control in the previous assembly has been reduced to a fragile majority.

The majority is because unelected cabinet ministers also become members of parliament, helping to consolidate the grip of the Al-Sabah ruling family. Unlike other oil-rich Gulf Arab states, Kuwait has an elected parliament with powers to hold ministers to account, even though senior members of the ruling family hold all top cabinet posts.

The set-up has led to repeated standoffs between lawmakers and the ruling family and Saturday&#39;s vote was the seventh general election in a decade. But the strength of the opposition allows them to grill ministers and possibly even vote them out of office.

The election came with Kuwait facing its most acute budget crisis in years. Oil income, which accounts for 95 percent of government revenues, has nosedived by 60 percent in the past two years.

The OPEC member posted its first budget deficit of $15 billion last year following 16 years of surpluses.

Kuwait&#39;s native citizens make up about 30 percent of its 4.4 million population. The emirate pumps 3.0 million barrels of oil daily.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The snap election was called after a dispute over the hiking of petrol prices

Islamist-dominated opposition groups and their allies secured nearly half of the Kuwaiti parliament's seats, official election results showed Sunday, raising fears of fresh political wrangling in the oil-rich Gulf state. The opposition and its allies won 24 of the assembly's 50 seats, the electoral authority announced following Saturday's snap election called after a dispute over the hiking of petrol prices. The Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition contested the election after a four-year boycott in protest over the government's amendment of the key voting system. Around half of the opposition candidates who won seats are Islamists from a Muslim Brotherhood-linked group and Salafists. Voters dealt a heavy blow to candidates from the outgoing parliament, with more than half of them failing to make it into the new assembly. Two of three cabinet ministers also failed in their bid for re-election. "Surprise," read the main headline on the website of Al-Qabas newspaper, adding that the election had resulted in a "62-percent change" in the parliament. One third of the members of the new parliament are relatively young and fresh on the political scene. Only one woman was elected and the Muslim Shiite minority was reduced to six seats from nine in the previous house. But despite the outcome, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah is set to ask the incumbent prime minister or another leading figure from the ruling family to form a new cabinet. "I think this composition will lead to confrontations between opposition MPs and the next government," political analyst Mohammad al-Ajmi told AFP. "There are many issues that could spark disputes: economic measures, revoking of citizenships and others," said Ajmi. In the past two years, the government revoked the citizenship of several leading opposition figures and their family members, citing various motives. The emir called the election after dissolving the previous parliament due to a dispute over increasing petrol prices. Hours after the results were issued, he congratulated the winners for the "trust" given to them by voters, wishing them success in "serving the homeland". Saturday's election saw a turnout of about 70 percent amid divisions over cuts in subsidies due to falling oil revenues. 'Confrontations from day one'? Analyst Dahem al-Qahtani said the opposition had made an "impressive showing". "Kuwaiti voters have punished those who let them down... and rejected the austerity measures," he told AFP. Qahtani said for the government to prevent a standoff, it should make initiatives for cooperation with the opposition. "If the government makes such initiatives, it may succeed in striking a needed political balance and avoid disputes," he said. "If not, confrontations could start from day one," Qahtani said. Kuwait was rocked with a series of political crises between 2006 and 2013 when an entirely pro-government parliament was elected. A majority of the elected MPs have openly said they would oppose any austerity measures by the government to boost non-oil income. The government's overwhelming control in the previous assembly has been reduced to a fragile majority. The majority is because unelected cabinet ministers also become members of parliament, helping to consolidate the grip of the Al-Sabah ruling family. Unlike other oil-rich Gulf Arab states, Kuwait has an elected parliament with powers to hold ministers to account, even though senior members of the ruling family hold all top cabinet posts. The set-up has led to repeated standoffs between lawmakers and the ruling family and Saturday's vote was the seventh general election in a decade. But the strength of the opposition allows them to grill ministers and possibly even vote them out of office. The election came with Kuwait facing its most acute budget crisis in years. Oil income, which accounts for 95 percent of government revenues, has nosedived by 60 percent in the past two years. The OPEC member posted its first budget deficit of $15 billion last year following 16 years of surpluses. Kuwait's native citizens make up about 30 percent of its 4.4 million population. The emirate pumps 3.0 million barrels of oil daily. (AFP)

Kuwait elections: Opposition wins nearly half of Parliament seats

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Kuwait’s emir dissolves parliament, suspends some constitution articles after post-elections deadlock

Kuwait elections: Opposition wins nearly half of Parliament seats