Kuwait - Parliament Election 2016
Kuwait on 18 December 2015 dismissed criticism by Amnesty International that human rights have been eroding in the country since the Arab Spring protests erupted across the region four years ago. It said it remained an open society based on the rule of law. In a report published a day earlier, Amnesty accused the Gulf Arab state of using a "web of vague and overly broad defamation laws" to crack down on freedom of expression, of shutting media outlets and stripping some critics of their citizenship. The rights group also said there had been an increase in prosecutions over comments deemed "offensive" to the emir.
Elections were due by June 2017, but Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly in October 2016, stating that "security challenges " in the region could best be addressed by consulting the popular will. Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah issued a decree 16 October 2016 dissolving the national assembly after an emergency government meeting. The reason cited for such move, which also brings down the government, was a "lack of cooperation", setting the stage for early elections. One day earlier, parliament speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem called for snap elections in the face of mounting security and economic challenges. Under Kuwait's constitution, early elections must be held within two months of the dissolution of the parliament.
The early elections were held amid an economic downturn, triggered by lower oil prices. In September, the Cabinet approved economic reforms, including an increase to gasoline prices. During the election campaign, many candidates focused on policies related to health and education, and said they would oppose any austerity measures by the government.
The snap elections on 26 November 2016, Kuwait's fourth since February 2012, were called by the Emir in October after the government said "delicate regional circumstances and... security challenges" required a popular vote. The move, however, was widely seen as linked to disputes between government and parliament over austerity measures, including a sharp rise in state-subsidised petrol prices. State-run television reported on Saturday that voter turnout was high at several polling stations, with some centers reporting 70 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots.
Kuwait's opposition groups won 24 of the 50 contested seats. The opposition and their allies took 24 seats in elections to the 50-member National Assembly. Around half of the opposition candidates reportedly belonged to groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood or Salafists, many of whom had boycotted the previous elections in 2013. Around half of the successful opposition MPs are from a Muslim Brotherhood-linked group and Salafists. A third of the new parliament were new, young members and the Muslim Shia minority was reduced to six seats from nine in the previous house. Kuwaiti voters dealt a heavy blow to members of the outgoing parliament, retaining only 40 percent of them. A majority of those elected openly said they will oppose any austerity measures by the government to boost non-oil income. The government's overwhelming control in the previous assembly was reduced to a fragile majority.
The number of members from the Shiite minority fell from eight to six. Only 20 members of the outgoing legislature were returned to the new parliament. One woman, Ms. Safaa Al-Hashem, was elected, making her the first woman in Kuwait to win three parliamentary elections. Turnout was high: Around 70 per cent of some 483,000 registered voters voted in 2016, up from 51.8% in the previous elections.
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