Kuwaiti general election, 2013

Last updated
Kuwait speaker election, 2013
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  2012 6 August 2013 Next  

All 64 seats to the National Assembly (Kuwait)

  First party Second party
  Marzouq.jpg
Leader Marzouq Al-Ghanim Unknown
Party Independent Independent
Seats won 36 28

Speaker of Kuwait National Assembly before election

Marzouq Al-Ghanim
Independent

Speaker of Kuwait National Assembly

Marzouq Al-Ghanim
Independent

Coat of arms of Kuwait.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Kuwait

Early general elections were held in Kuwait on 27 July 2013. [1] The elections were required after the Constitutional Court dissolved Parliament and annulled the results of the December 2012 elections. [2] Voter turnout was an estimated 52.5%, which was higher than expected despite an opposition boycott, [3] and only 7% lower than the non-boycotted February 2012 elections. [4]

Kuwait Country in Western Asia

Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in Western Asia. Situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, it shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As of 2016, Kuwait has a population of 4.5 million people: 1.3 million are Kuwaitis and 3.2 million are expatriates. Expatriates account for 70% of the population.

Contents

Background

Early elections had been held in December 2012 after the National Assembly elected in February 2012 was dissolved by the Constitutional Court, as the dissolution of the previous Assembly elected in 2009 by Emir Sabah Al-Sabah was deemed to be unconstitutional. Six weeks before the December 2012 elections, the electoral law was changed to reduce the number of votes voters could cast from four to one. The changes were rejected by opposition groups, claiming that it would allow the government to manipulate the elections. [2]

According to the constitution, elections had to be held within 60 days of the dissolution on 16 June. They were originally scheduled for 25 July, but were later postponed due to delays in the candidate registration process; the electoral law required registration had to start a month before the election, but the cabinet put process on hold whilst it waited for the Constitutional Court to publish the reasons for ruling that dissolved the previous National Assembly. [5]

Government of Kuwait

Kuwait is a constitutional emirate with a semi-democratic political system. The hybrid political system is divided between an elected parliament and appointed government.

Campaign

The secular National Democratic Alliance announced that it would contest the elections after boycotting the December 2012 elections. However, other liberal parties, together with nationalist groups said they would boycott the July elections. [2]

National Democratic Alliance (Kuwait)

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a liberal political bloc in Kuwait.

Results

According to the Associated Press , liberal lawmakers gained at least six seats. [6] The Congressional Research Service reported that liberals won 9 seats, making them the largest political bloc in the parliament after pro-government Independents. [7] Fox News reported that the tribal bloc won at least 10 seats in the 50-member parliament. Two women were elected. [6] Sunni Islamists won 3 seats. [7] The Shia group was initially reduced to eight seats after winning 17 seats in December 2012. [3] Following a parliamentary by-election in 2014, the Shia group increased their share to 10 seats in the parliament. [8] [9] Overall, there were 36 Independent MPs. [9]

Associated Press American multinational nonprofit news agency

The Associated Press (AP) is a U.S.-based not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. Its members are U.S. newspapers and broadcasters. Its Statement of News Values and Principles spells out its standards and practices.

Congressional Research Service Public think tank

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), known as Congress's think tank, is a public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works primarily and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a confidential, nonpartisan basis.

Fox News American television news channel

Fox News is an American pay television news channel. It is owned by the Fox News Group, which itself was owned by News Corporation from 1996–2013, 21st Century Fox from 2013–2019, and Fox Corporation since 2019. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. Fox News is provided in 86 countries or overseas territories worldwide, with international broadcasts featuring Fox Extra segments during ad breaks.

GroupTotal%Seats+/–
Independent (Sunni and Shia)36+8
Liberal 9+8
Women 2+1
Sunni Islamist3–1
Total228,314100500
Registered voters/turnout439,91151.90
Source: Kuwait Politics Database

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References

  1. "Kuwait cabinet sets parliamentary vote for July 27" Reuters, 26 June 2013
  2. 1 2 3 Kuwait's main liberal group to take part in polls Ahram Online, 17 June 2013
  3. 1 2 Kuwait election: Shia candidates suffer at polls BBC News, 28 July 2013
  4. Suliman Al-Atiqi (12 September 2013). "One Man, One Vote". Carnegie Endowment . As a result, the divided members of the opposition rendered themselves obsolete as the country witnessed a 52.5 percent voter turnout in the July 2013 election—up from the boycotted 40 percent, and 7.5 percentage points shy of the last non-boycotted election.
  5. Kuwait polls likely to be postponed Gulf News, 25 June 2013
  6. 1 2 "Kuwait's conservative tribes make election gains". Associated Press . 28 July 2013. Liberal lawmakers seeking greater social and political freedoms gained at least six seats, the results showed.
  7. 1 2 "Kuwait: Security, Reform, and U.S. Policy" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. 30 August 2013. p. 10.
  8. "The Danger to Kuwait is Authoritarianism". The Shia currently hold 10 out of 50 seats in the National Assembly and have generally served as a bulwark against the opposition since 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Kuwait Politics Database" (in Arabic).