KUWAIT CITY, 1 July 2006 — A strong showing by Kuwait’s opposition in parliamentary polls presents the government with tough choices, analysts said yesterday, and risks dragging the Gulf state into a new political crisis.
The opposition, a loose alliance comprising Islamists, liberals and nationalists, scored a resounding victory in Thursday’s elections by claiming absolute majority after winning 33 of the 50 parliamentary seats up for grab. The opposition needs 33 seats to claim an absolute majority in the chamber, because 15 of the 16 Cabinet ministers are ex-officio members who have the right to vote despite being unelected, thus taking the house membership to 65.
Sunni Islamists clinched 17 seats, three more than in the previous Parliament, while Shiite Islamists maintained their strength of four seats. “I believe the voters have sent a strong message to the government that they are frustrated with its wrong policies ... The message is that they want to see all corruption symbols dropped,” analyst Jassem Al-Saadoun said.
“If the government gets the message, brings a clean Cabinet and takes a step toward reform, things will go smoothly,” Saadoun told AFP. “But if it decides to continue with its old style, we are certainly headed for a confrontation and a crisis.”
Under Kuwaiti law, winners of elections do not form the government because the emirate’s political system is not based on a multiparty setup and political parties are not even legal, though political groupings operate openly. Since a semblance of democracy was introduced in the OPEC-member in 1962, a senior member of the Al-Sabah ruling family has headed every Cabinet while other members held the so-called sovereign ministries like Interior, Defense and Foreign Affairs.
Parliament has legislative and monitoring powers but it cannot unseat a government, though its can quiz the prime minister and declare noncooperation with the Cabinet.
In this case, the emir has the option of dissolving Parliament or dismissing the Cabinet. In most previous cases, it has been the first alternative.
Thursday’s legislative polls — in which women took part for the first time but without any female candidate succeeding — were called one year ahead of time after Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah dissolved Parliament on May 21 following a dispute between the government and opposition MPs. The opposition pressed for a bill calling to slash the number of constituencies to five from the current 25, saying the measure should be a prelude to wider political reforms, which the government opposed.
“I think the government does not have many choices. Hard-line reformists with enough votes in Parliament can paralyze the next government,” political analyst Ayed Al-Manna said.
“They could declare noncooperation with the prime minister and this will lead to a major constitutional crisis,” Manna told AFP.
Not only did opposition MPs retain their seats and increase their number, they also won in a massive way that reflected the tremendous popular support they enjoy.
Opposition MPs came in first place in 21 of the 25 constituencies and they also swept 10 of the electoral districts. Outspoken MP Mussallam Al-Barrak scored 8,095 votes, the largest in Kuwait’s history. “It was a crushing defeat for government supporters who wanted to maintain the 25 constituencies,” Manna said. Saadoun said the government may act “stubbornly” and form a Cabinet that does not live up to people’s expectations.
