Kuwait’s National Assembly is poised to open its inaugural session of parliament where Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Sabah called for unity after more than three years of political turmoil.
Kuwait has formed its fifth government in less than a year under Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Sabah, naming new ministers for the defence and oil portfolios who took the oath of office before parliament convened on Tuesday.
“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 parliament on Tuesday.
“We trust the National Assembly's keenness to achieve the aspirations of the people. We have a new phase of action, reform and advancing the national achievement process ahead of us. The National Assembly must be cleared of obstacles that hinder its work,” he added.
The last time Sheikh Meshal addressed parliament in 2022, he fought back tears as he recited verses from the Quran calling for unity, before receiving a standing ovation from attendees.
A general election last September delivered a mandate for change, bringing 27 new legislators to the 50-member assembly.
But in March, Kuwait’s Constitutional Court annulled the decree dissolving the previous parliament and reinstated it. A few weeks later, the ruling Al Sabah family dissolved that parliament again, setting up the most recent vote, in which most of the legislators elected in September regained their seats.
Kuwait is the only Gulf Arab state to have an elected parliament with powers to hold the government to account through measures such as votes of no confidence against cabinet ministers, including the appointed prime minister.
The political impasse between parliament and the government under Sheikh Ahmad over the past year has centred on a draft bill calling on the government to take over the consumer and personal loans of Kuwaiti citizens, with an estimated value of several billion Kuwaiti dinars.
The government said the move would be too expensive, costing almost $46 billion in public funds, while MPs said it would cost less than $6.5 billion.
“We look forward to democratic practices that will contribute to achieving a renaissance and activating the role of the National Assembly. The National Assembly must use constitutional means wisely and must complete the delayed legislation to achieve the aspirations of the people,” the Crown Prince said.
Parliament’s inaugural session on Tuesday also elected veteran MP Ahmed Al Saadoun as speaker, a pivotal political role that will shape its relationship with the current government.
Mr Al Saadoun had been speaker of the last parliament that was annulled by Kuwait’s highest court.
Sheikh Ahmad reflected on the recent months of disagreement and disunity between his government and the National Assembly.
“There is a hope that the two authorities will work together to achieve Kuwait's supreme interests,” he told the chamber on Tuesday.
“We are all aware of the seriousness of the current stage we are going through in the region and the world, which makes us face great responsibilities within an important national stage that requires decisions to protect the homeland and its stability.”
About three quarters of the declared winners of the September election were elected again on June 6, while 10 new candidates, most of them young, managed to beat incumbent MPs.
MP Jenan Boushehri was the only one of 13 female candidates to win a seat.
Just 207 candidates contested the election – the lowest number since 1996.
MP Marzouq Al Hubaini was chosen to address the opening session of the National Assembly as one of its eldest members. He also called for political stability.
“In this sensitive period in Kuwait's history, we aspire to transfer the state to a new stage of legal reference, in order to prevent abuse of power by either of the two authorities, and to distance the country from a state of disagreements just for the sake of disagreements,” Mr Al Hubaini said.
