National Assembly of Kuwait
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The National Assembly of Kuwait, known as the Majlis Al-Umma ("House of the Nation") (Arabic: مجلس الأمة), is the legislature of Kuwait. Its powers are largely controlled by the prime minister, a position by decree reserved to members of the royal family only. His current speaker is Jassem Al-Kharafi. The Emir dissolved the National Assembly in 1981, and restored it after the Gulf War in 1991. In 1999 his government attempted to enfranchise women, but the Assembly overrode the Emir.
Until recently, suffrage was limited to male Kuwaiti citizens above the age of 21 whose ancestors had resided in Kuwait since 1920, and adult males who have been naturalized citzens for at least 20 years. On May 16, 2005, however, the Assembly passed a law in support of women's suffrage, allowing women to vote and run for office, as long as they adhere to Islamic law.
The 50-seat assembly is elected every four years. Currently there are 25 geographically distributed electoral districts. Every eligible citizen is entitled to two votes, though he or she may choose to only cast one vote. The two candidates with the most votes in each district win seats. Cabinet ministers (including the prime minister) are granted automatic membership in the Assembly. Thus, the actual number of seats in the assembly rises to 62 or more, depending on the number of ministers at a given time. The Cabinet ministers have the same rights as the elected MPs except that 1) they do not participate in committees' work, and 2) they can not cast a vote when an interpellation leads to a "no-confidence" vote against one of the Cabinet members.
[edit] Political Factions
While political parties are banned in Kuwait, a number of political factions exist. The assembly is composed of different unofficial political factions in addition to independents:
- The Islamic bloc: Consisting mainly of Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood members. The Islamic bloc is the most influential bloc in the assembly with around 17 members elected in the 2006 national elections. Their chief goal is the complete return of the Shari'a law. Bills supported by the Islamic bloc include the elimination of co-education at the university level (passed in 1998).
- The Shaabi (Populist or Socialist) bloc: A coalition of independents and other nationalist parties with a focus on lower- and middle-class issues. In 2006 national elections, they won around 20 seats of the parliament.
- The liberal bloc: With only four members elected in the 2006 elections, it is the weakest faction in the assembly. The liberal bloc supported the women's suffrage bill in 1999 and 2005.
In 2006 general election, a coalition of 29 members of parliament was formed (which was increased to 36 members after the election) for supporting the 5 electoral districts bill.
| Seats | |
|---|---|
| Islamists | 21 |
| Government supporters | 14 |
| Liberals | 3 |
| Other non-partisans | 12 |
| Total (turnout 80 %) | 50 |
| Source: Rulers | |
[edit] Significant events
- May 5, 1999- Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolved the national assembly on the grounds of a political deadlock between the government and the assembly.
- November 23, 1999- The National Assembly rejects an amiri decree by Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to grant women's suffrage in the 2003 elections.
- January 24, 2006- The National Assembly of Kuwait voted [1] ruling emir Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah out of office just moments before a letter of abdication was received from the emir. The Kuwait Cabinet nominated Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, prime minister, to take over as emir.
- January 29, 2006- Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was sworn in as the 15th emir of Kuwait, which was unanimously approved by the National Assembly.
- May 21, 2006- Amidst week long disputes over reform to decrease the number of electoral districts, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolves the assembly calling for new elections June 29th of 2006.
