Politics of Kuwait
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Politics of Kuwait takes place in a framework of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, whereby the Emir is the head of government. The State of Kuwait (Dawlat al Kuwayt) has been ruled by the al-Sabah dynasty since approximately 1752. The constitution, approved and promulgated on November 11, 1962, calls for direct elections to a unicameral parliament (the National Assembly). Despite the regular holding of relatively free and fair elections to the National Assembly, Kuwait is not a democracy by the usual definition of the term because the prime minister is not responsible to parliament. Nonetheless, Kuwaitis enjoy more civil and political freedoms than the citizens of most non-democratic states. Kuwait's parliament is the strongest of those found in the monarchies of the Gulf. Kuwaitis take some pride in the rarity of political violence in their country, especially given the frequently high levels of violence found in neighboring states and elsewhere in the Arab world.
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[edit] Executive branch
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emir | Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | 29 January 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah | 7 February 2006 |
[edit] The Emir
The Emir's powers are defined by the 1962 constitution. These powers include appointing the prime minister, dissolving parliament, promulgating laws, referring bills back to the parliament for reconsideration, and appointing military officers. According to the Kuwaiti Constitution, the Emir's person is immune and inviolable. Therefore, criticism of him and his actions are not permitted in the national media.
Upon the death of Emir, the Crown Prince succeeds. The new Emir then selects a crown prince, though in practice he can do this only after the members of the ruling al-Sabah family arrive at a consensus on who should be appointed. The crown prince must be approved by an absolute majority of the members of the National Assembly. If the new crown prince fails to win approval from the Assembly, the emir submits the names of three eligible members of the family to the Assembly, and the Assembly selects one to be the crown prince. The emir and the crown prince must be direct descendants, in the patrilineal line, of Mubarak the Great. Successions were smooth in 1965 and in 1978. The succession of 2006 caused a major political crisis.
Kuwait experienced an unprecedented era of prosperity under Emir Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah, who died in 1977 after ruling for 12 years, and under his successor, Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who died in January 2006. The country was transformed into a highly developed welfare state with a free market economy. During the seven month occupation by Iraq, the Emir, the government, and many Kuwaitis took refuge in Saudi Arabia or other nations. The Emir and the government managed Kuwaiti affairs from Saudi Arabia, London, and elsewhere during the period, relying on substantial Kuwaiti investments available outside Kuwait for funding and war-related expenses. His return after the liberation in February 1991 was relatively smooth.
[edit] Current events in early 2006
On January 24, 2006 the parliament voted to remove the ailing Emir Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah from power. Such a vote is unusual in the Arab countries. He was Emir only briefly, after the death of Emir Jaber al Ahmed al Sabah on January 15, 2006.
The cabinet nominated the previous Prime Minister, Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah, to be elected Emir. He won the majority of the votes in the parliament and then became the 15th Emir of the state. He then appointed the minister of Emiri Diwan Naser Almohammad to be prime minister.
[edit] The Government
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The constitution gives the Emir the authority to appoint the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister in turn appoints the ministers who form the government, conditional on the approval of the Emir. A new government does not require a positive vote of confidence from the National Assembly. In practice some Cabinet portfolios - Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Defense - are reserved for members of the ruling family, though the constitution does not require it. The Prime Minister, as a matter of political custom, is also a member of the ruling family.
At least one member of the government must be a deputy who won election to the National Assembly. The 1992 cabinet included six elected members of the National Assembly, the most of any cabinet in Kuwaiti history. The current cabinet has only one elected member of the Assembly, the constitutional minimum.
All members of the cabinet, elected or not, also hold seats in the National Assembly. The size of the cabinet is limited to one-third the number of elected deputies of the National Assembly - that is, sixteen.
The Prime Minister is currently the Emir's nephew, Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
[edit] Ministries
Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al Ahmed Al Sabah formed a 16-member government on 9 Febubary 2006 with six new ministers. This is the 22nd Kuwaiti cabinet since independence in 1961.
The full cabinet list is as follows:
- Prime minister: Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah (new)
- First deputy premier, defense and interior minister: Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah (adds interior portfolio)
- Deputy premier, minister of state for cabinet affairs, and minister of state for National Assembly affairs: Mohammed Diefallah Sharar (unchanged)
- Deputy premier, foreign minister: Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah (adds post of deputy premier)
- Minister for communications: Ismail Al Shatti (new)
- Minister of planning and administrative development: Maasouma Al Mubarak (unchanged)
- Energy minister: Sheikh Ahmed Fahd Al Ahmed Al Sabah (unchanged)
- Minister for social affairs and labor: Sheikh Ali Al Jarrah Al Sabah (new)
- Health minister: Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Sabah (loses communications post)
- Minister for housing and public works: Bader Nasser Al Humaidi (unchanged)
- Education and higher education minister: Adel Al Tabtabai (new)
- Trade and industry minister: Youssef Al Zalzalah (new)
- Minister for Awqaf and Islamic affairs, and justice minister: Abdullah Al Muatuq (adds justice portfolio)
- Information minister: Mohammad Al Sanousi (new)
- Finance minister: Bader Mishari Al Humaidhi (unchanged)
- Minister for municipality and environment: Abdullah Al Muhailbi (new)
[edit] Legislative branch
The unicameral National Assembly (or Majlis al-Umma) can have up to 65 deputies. Fifty deputies are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. Members of the cabinet also sit in the parliament as deputies. Because cabinet members need not be elected members of parliament, this means that the Prime Minister can in effect appoint up to 15 unelected members of the National Assembly. The constitution limits the size of the cabinet to 16, and at least one member of the cabinet must be an elected deputy.
Although the Amir maintains the final word on most government policies, the National Assembly plays a real role in decision making, with powers to initiate legislation, question government ministers, and express lack of confidence in individual ministers. For example, in May 1999, the Emir issued several landmark decrees dealing with women's suffrage, economic liberalization, and nationality. The National Assembly later rejected all of these decrees as a matter of principle and then reintroduced most of them as parliamentary legislation.
The Cabinet ministers, together with the PM, are excluded from voting only on one occasion: when MPs - after grilling an individual minister - vote on a motion of confidence. MPs frequently exercise their Constitutional right to grill Cabinet members. Parliament's sessions and interpellations of the Cabinet ministers are aired on Kuwaiti TV uncensored. MPs also have the right (so far never exercised) to question the Premier, and then table a motion of non-cooperation with the government, in which case the Emir must either desolve Parliament or replace the Cabinet.
[edit] Political parties and elections
- For other political parties see List of political parties in Kuwait. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Kuwait.
The constitution calls for new elections to be held at a maximum interval of four years (or earlier if the Amir dissolves the parliament). Kuwait has universal adult suffrage for Kuwaiti citizens who are 21 or older, with the exception of (1) those who currently serve in the armed forces, (2) citizens who have been naturalized for fewer than 30 years. The franchise was expanded to include women on May 16, 2005. In 1996 naturalized citizens were given the right to vote, but only after they had been naturalized for at least 30 years.
Most residents of Kuwait are not citizens and consequently do not have the right to vote. Kuwait's citizenship law, in theory, gives citizenship to those who descend, in the male line, from residents of Kuwait in 1920.
It can be difficult to summarize Kuwaiti election results because most candidates run as independents. In the 2003 elections the liberal/left Minbar al-Dimuqrati group lost both the seats it held in the 1999 parliament. The Salafis doubled their representation, to 6 seats. The Muslim Brothers lost several seats, winning only 2 in the 2003 elections. The Popular Bloc lost 4 of its 10 seats.
Once elected, many deputies form voting blocs in the National Assembly. Following the 2003 elections, 16 deputies joined the Islamist bloc; 6 joined the Popular Bloc (a populist group that includes both bedouin and Shi'i deputies); 4 joined the liberal bloc.
Kuwaiti law prohibits the formation of political parties. However, several major political groupings function as parties in elections, and there are blocs in the parliament. Several political groups act as de facto parties: the Muslim Brotherhood, two Salafist groups, a liberal/leftist group, a populist group, and so forth.
| Seats | |
|---|---|
| Islamic Bloc (Sunni) | 17 |
| Popular Bloc | 9 |
| National Action Bloc (liberals) | 8 |
| Independents (mostly pro-government) | 16 |
| Total (turnout 80 %) | 50 |
| Source: Kuwait Politics Database | |
[edit] Judicial branch
The Judiciary in Kuwait is an independent body. In each administrative district of Kuwait there is a Summary Court (also called Courts of First Instance which are composed of one or more divisions, like a Traffic Court or an Administrative Court); then there is Court of Appeals; Cassation Court and lastly - a Constitutional Court which interprets the constitution and deals with disputes related to the constitutionality of laws. Kuwait has a civil law system; Islamic law is significant in personal matters. Kuwait has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
[edit] The ruling family
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Kuwait's monarchical system of government is marked by the unusually wide involvement of members of the ruling family in state posts. Several important cabinet porfolios are held by members of the ruling family, including defense, interior and foreign affairs. Members of the ruling family (who bear the title 'shaykh' in Kuwait) typically hold additional cabinet posts, and are found in many other high posts in the government. This major family role in politics emerged in 1939, when shaykhs of the al-Sabah closed the Kuwaiti parliament that the merchants had established the year before.
Kuwait's Emir (whose official title is His Highness the Emir of the State of Kuwait ) is a respected figure among Kuwaiti nationals. For instance, in the year 2004—after unexpected hike in oil prices brought extra revenues to Kuwait's budget—many Kuwaiti employees, working in the governmental sector, demanded from the government an increase in salaries. The Government, however, rejected their demands arguing that the hike in oil prices was only temporary. However, the Emir stepped in and came up with a middle solution, decreeing that every Kuwaiti citizen shall be granted a one-time allowance of 200 Kuwaiti dinars. The parliament unanimously approved the Emir's initiative by passing a special bill on that matter.
From 1962 to 2003, the crown prince also headed the government as prime minister. This changed in 2003, when Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah became Prime Minister while Sa'd al-Abdallah, who had been the Prime Minister, resigned that post but stayed on as Crown Prince. The crown prince has few other constitutional duties other than serving as heir to the throne. However, that does not prevent him from being a public figure - the mass media always provide reports about him, usually of social or diplomatic nature: for instance, if he receives a foreign dignitary is his office, or sends a cable of congratulations to another monarch or travels or returns from abroad, or hosts a social event - these and other things will always be covered by Kuwait's media.
The three men who currently hold the most senior positions in the government - the emir, the crown prince, and the prime minister - are in their 70s, and the emir and crown prince have both suffered from serious health problems in recent years. This has led some to express concern that the health problems of the leadership has affected the quality of governance in Kuwait - in particular, some critics would like to see the appointment of a crown prince who enjoys good health.
[edit] International organization participation
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ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
