Kuwait parliamentary election results

Kuwaitis headed to the polls on 16 May to elect a new Parliament after the ruler dissolved it earlier this year to end the political standoff between the cabinet and parliament. The results of the elections are as follows: four women won seats in the legislature, the Sunni Islamists won 11 seats, down from 21 seats and liberals won eight seats, up from 7 last year, the Shia community won 9 seats up from four. Members of Parliament from tribal areas won the rest of the seats, some of whom are conservative and oppose the government’s efforts for free market reforms. Now, the ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah will appoint a prime minster who will then form a cabinet. A new assembly is required to meet within those two weeks; a new cabinet is formed during that time.

The results of the elections questions whether or not the political issues between the conservative parliament and the more liberal government will in fact be laid to rest. While liberals have gained seats, many of the conservative Islamists in the previous parliament were re-elected. The next few weeks will be crucial in determining the political interaction between the two branches of government. Political stalemate in Kuwait between the cabinet and the parliament has had serious ramifications on Kuwait, for one it stalled the passage of an economic stimulus plan. The plan was only approved by the ruler through emergency legistlation; however, it needs to be enacted into law by the new parliament. Bills including a privatization bill as well and a bill to allow foreigners to own property are pending approval by the new government. Kuwait is expected to be the key underperformer this year with GDP at 0% in 2009, largely due to the fall in oil prices and the exposure of the Kuwaiti financial sector to the credit derivatives market. Thus, it is in the country’s best interests to put politics aside and focus on economic recovery.