3rd Election in 3 Years Unlikely To Resolve Political Deadlock in Kuwait

Kuwait’s third election in three years is taking place on Tuesday. The results are unlikely to bring an end to the political gridlock that has been plaguing the country for the past several years.

Kuwait is the only country with a democratically elected assembly among the Gulf states, but the assembly has been the site of chaos and has been incapable of enacting reforms. The current election is the result of the parliament’s dissolution in May.

The parliament had previously been dissolved in 2022, after which parliamentary elections took place. That dissolution came in response to a conflict between the lawmaking body and the ruling Al-Sabah family, which appoints the prime minister and the cabinet. The conflict centered on proposed fiscal reforms meant to make Kuwait less reliant on oil revenue.

In March, the Constitutional Court declared that there had been discrepancies in the dissolution decree and reinstated the previous parliament. The royal decree then overturned that decision in May, setting up Tuesday’s vote.

Two former speakers of parliament, Marzouq al-Ghanim and Ahmed al-Saadoun, are both hoping to return to the position.

The polls are set to close at 8 pm, with results expected on Wednesday.