Kuwait dissolves parliament as political rift with government persists

Emir issues royal decree accusing parliament of breaching constitution

The royal decree accused the Kuwaiti parliament of constitutional breaches, including using offensive and inappropriate language. AFP

Kuwait's Emir dissolved parliament on Thursday after simmering tensions between the newly formed government and members of parliament led to a stalemate in the country.

The official Kuna news agency said a "royal decree was issued to dissolve the National Assembly", which was elected last June, following a proposal by the prime minister that was approved by cabinet.

The royal decree was issued by Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal, who earlier criticised the standards of politicians after he came to power.

The decree was carried by Kuna and accused parliament of constitutional breaches, including using "offensive and inappropriate" language.

The announcement came after ministers boycotted a parliamentary session on Wednesday in objection to a speech delivered by one lawmaker a week earlier.

The speech, by MP Abdul Karim Al Kandari, referred to criticism of the cabinet and parliament by Sheikh Meshal.

Cabinet ministers interpreted the remarks as an insult to the Emir, who demanded improvements from the country's executive and legislative branches in his inaugural speech.

Kuwait’s new Emir, Sheikh Meshal. Photo: Kuna

Sheikh Meshal, previously the Crown Prince, became Ruler after the death of his predecessor Sheikh Nawaf in December.

Political deadlocks have prevented lawmakers from passing reforms to diversify the economy, while budget deficits and low foreign investment have added to rising frustration among the population.

Sheikh Meshal warned after taking office that there was "no room" for settling political scores between the legislative and executive branches of government.

“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 after taking his oath of office.

In his inaugural speech, the emir rebuked parliament and the cabinet for failing to fulfil their "national obligations", while accusing them of harming the interests of the state and its people.

The cause of the dissolution of parliament this time around has been more personalised compared to past incidents, according to Kuwaiti analysts.

“The reason this time is the most personalised compared to previous dissolution decrees. It refers to constitutional violations and lack of ‘respect’ for the Emir by ‘purposefully using inappropriate expressions’,” Bader Alsaif, an assistant professor of history at Kuwait University, told The National.

Constitutionally, general elections must be held within two months from the date of the decree dissolving the country's National Assembly.

Kuwait’s National Assembly has been repeatedly dissolved over the past several years, with the country’s Constitutional Court in 2023 annulling a 2022 decree overturning another such annulment. The country's late Emir Sheikh Nawaf then annulled that parliament again and held an election for a new parliament, which itself has now been annulled with Thursday's decision.

That means Kuwaitis are now expected to head to the polls for the fourth time in four years.

Mr Alsaif warned that political fatigue in the next election would be a big problem. "Kuwaitis are in fatigue mode and hyper voting is no solution," he told The National.