Snap general elections were held in Kuwait on 4 April 2024 to elect 50 of the 65 members of the National Assembly.[1][2] The election came after the dissolution of the National Assemblyelected in 2023 on 15 February 2024 due to an MP allegedly insulting EmirMishal Al-Ahmad.[3] The elections were the first to be held during Mishal Al-Ahmad's reign and the fourth election held within four years.
Electoral system
The 50 elected members of the National Assembly were elected from five ten-seat constituencies by single non-transferable vote.[4] Political parties are not officially licensed meaning candidates formally run as independents, although many political groups operate freely as de facto political parties.[5] All Kuwaiti citizens above the age of 21 have the right to vote.
Since 2006 Kuwait has been divided into five multi-member constituencies for the election of members to the unicameral National Assembly.[6] These five electoral districts represent 112 residential areas distributed among the six governorates of Kuwait. Regardless of the amount of electorates, all constituencies directly elects 10 representatives to the National Assembly, for a total of 50 elected members out of 65.
Any Kuwaiti-born citizen who is 30 years of age on election day, who is able to read and write in Arabic and has not been convicted of a felony or a crime involving breach of honor or trust is eligible to run for office. On 22 June 2016 parliament passed a law banning any citizen who had insulted the emir from running,[8] resulting in several major opposition figures including Musallam Al-Barrak becoming ineligible candidates. All registered candidates need to pay a registration fee of fifty Kuwaiti Dinars (about US$162.50).
Registration of candidates took place between 4 and 13 March 2024. A total of 255 candidates registered to contest the elections.[9]
Female Candidates
Fourteen women registered to run in the 2023 election, the lowest since the 2016 election. The only female MP during the 17th session, Jenan Boushehri, re-ran for office. Eight female candidates ran in the Third Constituency, two candidates ran in the Second and Fourth constituencies, and only one ran in the First and Fifth.
Secularist Blocs
Two Kuwait Democratic Forum-affiliated members are running in the current election. Mohammed Jawhar Hayat in the first constituency and Saud Al-Babtain in the second constituency.[10]
Populist Blocs
The Popular Action Bloc led by former MP Musallam Al-Barrak announced three candidates for this election. Basel Al-Bahrani in the first constituency, Mutib Al-Rathaan of the fourth constituency and Mohammad Al-Dossari in the fourth constituency.
Sunni Islamist Blocs
Hadas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, decided to field four candidates in four different constituencies. Mohammad Al-Matar replacing Osama Al-Shaheen in the first constituency. Hamad Almatar and Abdulaziz Al-Saqabi will rerun in the second and third constituencies respectively. Muaath Al-Duwaila, son of former MP Mubarak Al-Duwaila, will run in the fourth constituency.[11]
The Islamic Salafi Alliance have four candidates in this election. Three of these candidates were in the last session, Fahad Al-Masoud of the second constituency, Hamad Al-Obaid of the third, and Mubarak Al-Tasha of the fourth. Abdullah Al-Kandari will run in the fifth constituency for the Salafi Alliance. The salafist group, Thawabit Al-Umma, will have two candidates running in the elections. Current MP Mohammed Hayef al-Mutairi and the recently exonerated Bader Al-Dahoum.[12]
Shia Islamist Blocs
The Justice and Peace Alliance, affiliated with the Shirazi Shiite school, registered two candidates Saleh Ashour in the first constituency and
Khalil Al-Saleh in the second constituency. Taalof, a group that broke off from the National Islamic Alliance,[further explanation needed] have registered three candidates including two who were in the last session. Their three candidates are Ahmed Lari of the first constituency, Abdullah Ghandfar of the third constituency and Hani Shams of the fifth constituency.[13]
Conduct
The election was the second in Kuwait to be held during Ramadan. Polling opened at 12:00 and closed at midnight. Around 834,000 citizens were eligible to vote. Sheikh Mishal called for a high turnout, saying that those who boycott the election were relinquishing their constitutional right.[14]
Results
Results showed that opposition politicians maintained their majority in the National Assembly, retaining the 29 seats (out of 50) that it had won in the last election. One female candidate was elected, the same as in the previous election, while Shia MPs won eight seats, an increase of one. The Islamic Constitutional Movement, a local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, saw its seats decrease from three to one. Eleven MPs lost their bids for reelection. Analysts said that the election result would mean a continuation of the political dispute between Sheikh Mishal and parliament, which during its upcoming term, is expected to rule on the nomination of a crown prince.[15]
The Kuwaiti Information Ministry said that turnout in the election was at 62%.[15]
Sheikh Mishal expressed thanks to agencies and officials who were involved in organizing the election.[16] He and Prime Minister Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah also expressed his congratulations to the winners in the election.[17][18]
Adel Al Asoomi, the Speaker of the Arab Parliament, congratulated Sheikh Mishal and the Kuwaiti government for the conduct and result of the election.[19]
On 10 May Sheikh Mishal disbanded the parliament for the second time in 2024, also announcing he was suspending some articles of the constitution for up to four years and that he and members of the cabinet would be taking over the powers of the National Assembly.[20]
