On Tuesday, Kuwait will hold its seventh parliamentary elections since 2012. A rich Gulf oil state, the country remains plunged in an interminable political crisis that is undermining hopes of economic reform.
Kuwaiti voters are called to the polls on Tuesday to choose their deputies. Unlike other states in the region, Kuwait, ruled by the Al-Sabah family, has a parliament, elected for four years, with broad legislative powers and where debates are often heated.
Elected representatives have important prerogatives, not hesitating to call to account ministers belonging to the royal family who are accused of mismanagement or even corruption. However, the royal family, which is virtually untouchable, retains most of the power, as the regal portfolios are systematically entrusted to it.
This constant tug-of-war between the executive and parliament has led to a succession of governments and the dissolution of the Assembly on several occasions in recent years.
According to Kuwaiti analyst Ayed al-Manaa, this situation “wearies Kuwaitis” and leads to a “lack of confidence” among the population in its political class.
Fearing a high abstention rate, the authorities have put up large banners in the streets of the capital calling on citizens to vote en masse.
An activist and university professor, Sheikha al-Jassem deplores the “paralysis” of political life, which is holding back the country’s development, despite “promises” from the authorities. “We need to wake up to this great frustration,” she told AFP.
Indeed, political instability has dampened investor appetite for Kuwait, one of the world’s leading oil exporters.
Tensions between the executive and parliament have hampered the reforms needed in this relatively undiversified economy, a situation that stands in stark contrast to Kuwait’s powerful neighbors, the other five members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Maïssa Ben Fares, with AFP
