KUWAIT

ELECTIONS IN 2006

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Chamber:

Majles Al-Ommah

Dates of election / renewal (from/to):

29 June 2006

Purpose of elections:

Elections were held for the elective seats in the National Assembly following a premature dissolution of this body on 21 May 2006. Elections had previously taken on 5 July 2003.

Background and outcome of elections:

The first parliamentary elections following the May 2005 electoral reform, which gave women the right to vote and run for elections for the first time, were held on 29 June 2006. Women were reported to make up 57 per cent of the 340,000 people eligible to vote in Kuwait.

Although there are officially no political parties in Kuwait, pro-government candidates reportedly won 14 of the 50 elected seats at the last election in July 2003. Islamists obtained 21 seats while liberals and their supporters took three. The remainder went to independent candidates.

Prior to the 2006 elections, the Government was facing a political deadlock due to disputes over a new electoral reform bill. The Government-sponsored bill would reduce the number of multi-member constituencies from 25 to 10, while opposition MPs wanted to further decrease the number to five, insisting that this would reduce the risk of corruption and vote-buying. Following a month-long stalemate, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly on 21 May 2006. Some 29 members of the outgoing legislature subsequently formed a loose pro-reform alliance, led by Islamists and including nationalists and liberals.

Electoral reform remained a main issue during the 2006 elections, which were contested by 252 candidates, including 28 women. The pro-reform candidates pledged to table the same electoral reform in the new legislature. The elections went off peacefully. Although official figures were much higher, turnout was estimated by many observers around 65 per cent of registered voters. After the elections, opposition candidates accused some pro-government candidates of vote-buying. The Government dismissed those charges.

Pro-reform candidates reportedly won 33 seats, four more than in the outgoing legislature. No woman candidate was elected.

On 11 July, the 16-member cabinet (of whom one had also been elected as a member of parliament), was sworn in and took their seats in parliament, bringing the total number of members to 65. As was the case in the outgoing Government, one woman was appointed to the cabinet.

On 12 July, the newly-elected National Assembly held its first session. Pro-government former Speaker, Mr. Jasem Mohammad Abdulmuhsen Al-Khurafi, defeated former Speaker Ahmad al-Sa'dun by 36 to 28 in the leadership vote, with one abstention.

On 17 July, the National Assembly adopted an electoral reform bill that reduced the number of constituencies from 25 to 5.

STATISTICS


Round no 1 (29 June 2006): Election results
Number of registered electors		340'248
Voters		312'762 (91.92%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers		1'883
Valid votes		310'879



Round no 1: Distribution of votes

Political Group	Candidates	Votes	%

Round no 1: Distribution of seats

Political Group

Total

Comments:

Note on the "Distribution of seats according to political group"
Not applicable: there are no political parties.

Note on the "Distribution of seats according to sex":
No woman candidate was elected in the 2006 elections. One woman was appointed to the 16-member cabinet sworn in in July 2006. A new cabinet sworn in in March 2007 included two women. As cabinet ministers also sit in parliament, there are two women out of a total of 65 members. One female minister resigned in August 2007, bringing the number of women to one.

The "Distribution of seats according to age" and the "Distribution of seats according to profession" below refer to all 65 members, including elected and ex officio cabinet members.

Distribution of seats according to sex:

Men:

Women:

Percent of women:

1.54

Distribution of seats according to age:


31 to 40 years	10
41 to 50 years	21
51 to 60 years	28
61 to 70 years	5
Over 70 years	1

Distribution of seats according to profession:

Others		19
Scientists		14
Civil/public servants/administrators (including social/development workers)		8
Legal professions		5
Economists		4
Bankers (including invest bankers)/accountants		3
Military/police officers		3
Media-related professions (journalists/publishers)		3
Engineers/PC experts		2
Clerical occupations		2
Medical professions (doctors, dentists, nurses)		1
Educators		1

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