In Kuwait, opposition lawmakers secured a majority in parliament, with only one woman elected, following the country’s seventh general election in over a decade. The opposition figures include Islamists and independent politicians not tied to the ruling family.
Opposition lawmakers won a majority in Kuwait’s parliament with only one woman elected, results showed on Wednesday, after the Gulf state’s seventh general election in just over a decade.
The opposition figures include Islamists and independent politicians not tied to the ruling family, who are pushing for a raft of reforms.
The vote on Tuesday came after Kuwait’s constitutional court in March annulled the results of last year’s election—in which the opposition made significant gains—and reinstated the previous parliament elected in 2020.
Opposition lawmakers won 29 of the legislature’s 50 seats, according to official Kuwait News Agency results. Only one woman was elected—opposition candidate Janan Bushehri.
It has sparked concerns that the legislature may once again find itself locked in disputes with the cabinet, further deepening a political crisis that has delayed reforms and hampered growth.
Since Kuwait adopted a parliamentary system in 1962, the legislature has been dissolved around a dozen times.
While lawmakers are elected, Kuwait’s cabinet ministers are installed by the ruling Al-Sabah family, which maintains a firm grip over political life.
Continual standoffs between the branches of government have prevented lawmakers from passing economic reforms, while repeated budget deficits and low foreign investment have added to an air of gloom.
Bushehri, the new parliament’s only female member, said she expected it “to seek stability and move ahead on outstanding issues, whether political or economic.”
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
