On Sunday, Kuwait’s Constitutional Court ruled that last year’s legislative elections, which were won by the opposition, were invalid amid appeals calling into question the legality of related constitutional provisions.
And the decision of the Constitutional Court stated: “The Court invalidated the entire electoral process and the invalidity of the membership of those who announced their victory in it, due to the invalidity of the dissolution of the National Assembly and the invalidity of the call of voters to elect members of the National Assembly.”
And the court ordered “that the dissolved council from the date of the decision (…) restore its constitutional authority, as if there was no decision.”
The court considered dozens of appeals from former deputies and politicians, citing “constitutional violations” that clouded the process of announcing the dissolution of parliament two months before last September’s elections, and other errors during the electoral process.
According to lawyer Nawaf Al-Yasin, who specializes in parliamentary affairs, “the appeals relate to the invalidity of the electoral process, the decrees for holding elections and the decree for the dissolution of the National Assembly”, which was issued by Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on behalf of the Emir country of Sheikh Nawaf Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the agency said.
The opposition, which has boycotted legislative elections for the past ten years, accusing executive bodies of influencing the work of parliament, won 28 out of 50 seats in the National Assembly in the last election.
Parliament was dissolved to allow political reconciliation and the return of the opposition to the political process.
Unlike other countries in the region, Kuwait is politically active, and its parliament, whose members are elected to four-year terms, has broad legislative powers and often witnesses heated debate.
The country, located close to Iran and Iraq, is shaken by frequent political crises associated with the government, members of the ruling family and a parliament that has been dissolved several times. The reason is often the demand of MPs to hold ministers from the princely family accountable for issues, including corruption.
This is the third government formed by the son of the Emir of Kuwait since his appointment as prime minister last August.
It is also the sixth government formed in Kuwait in three years, as previous governments resigned due to political differences.
The previous government resigned in October, just a day after its formation, after deputies refused to form a cabinet.
According to the state news agency, the prime minister told the Council of Ministers during the meeting that he had “submitted the government’s resignation” to the crown prince “as a result of the relationship between the executive and legislative branches of government.” during the first regular session of the seventeenth legislative term of the National Assembly.”
Kuwait is one of the world’s largest exporters of crude oil and was the first Gulf country to adopt a parliamentary system in 1962.
Oppositionists and political movements boycotted the elections ten years ago, accusing the executive authorities of influencing the work of the parliament.
Like its neighbors, Kuwait is seeking to diversify its economy, which is almost entirely dependent on oil, but bureaucracy, corruption and a lack of effective plans for economic transformation threaten to put the US ally, which houses thousands of American soldiers, in front of a major economic crisis. difficulties.
Similarly, Kuwait, which is a mixture of Sunnis and Shiites and has a population of about 4.2 million, lacks young leaders, unlike other Gulf states that are now appointing young politicians and diplomats to high positions.
In recent years, Kuwaitis have expressed a desire for reform and change in a country where expatriates make up 70% of the population.
