| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Majles Al-Ommah / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
17 May 2008 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for the elective seats in the National Assembly following a premature dissolution of this body on 19 March 2008. Elections had previously been held on 29 June 2006. |
On 9 April 2008, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah issued a decree setting 17 May as the date for early elections to Kuwait's National Assembly, less than two years after the last elections, held in June 2006.
Although there are no official political parties in Kuwait, some members are regarded as being in opposition to the government. Prior to the 2006 elections they formed a loose pro-reform alliance, led by Islamists but also including nationalists and liberals, and reportedly won 33 of the 50 seats. After the elections, the National Assembly adopted electoral reforms including a key opposition demand to reduce the number of electoral districts from 25 to 5. This provision was applied for the first time in the 2008 elections. An earlier electoral reform passed in 2005 had given women the right to vote and run in the elections, but no women had been elected in 2006.
The 2008 elections were triggered by a standoff between the government and parliament and sectarian tensions. A string of no-confidence votes in parliament against individual ministers had resulted in four cabinet reshuffles since the last elections. The tension between the parliament and the government resulted from disagreement over the magnitude of public sector pay increases needed to respond to record inflation. The parliament favoured higher increases while the government was reluctant to increase government spending.
Following the resignation of the cabinet on 17 March, the emir dissolved the parliament, accusing it of irresponsibility. He also justified his action by the need to safeguard national unity.
A total of 274 candidates, including 27 women and 38 outgoing members of parliament, vied for the 50 seats in parliament. Opposition candidates, reportedly numbering around 45, were less united than in the 2006 elections.
Despite the absence of official political parties, some of the candidates were endorsed by political groups. These included the Islamic Salafi Alliance and the Islamic Constitutional Movement (better known as "Hadas"), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. Both groups opposed women's empowerment and called for the enforcement of Shari'a law in Kuwait.
The liberal National Democratic Alliance, as well as two Shiite groups - the National Islamic Alliance and the Justice and Peace Alliance - argued in favour of women's participation, as necessary to national progress. The larger electoral districts introduced in the 2008 elections reportedly helped the Shiite minority mobilize supporters, with Shiite groups forming a coalition in some districts. Sunni candidates tended to receive backing from tribal and family ties, rather than political groups.
Former Speaker and prominent opposition figure Ahmad Al Saadun led the Popular Action Bloc, running on a platform of better housing and higher wages.
Many independent candidates called for national unity. Some candidates criticized the outgoing legislature for encroaching on the prerogatives of the executive branch. A number of women candidates advocated amendments to legislation concerning women, calling on voters to support women's representation in parliament as the path to "full democracy".
Out of the country's approximately 360,000 eligible voters, 59.41 per cent turned out at the polls.
Islamists made strong gains, obtaining a total of 26 seats. Of these, 21 were won by Sunnis, including 10 associated with the Islamic Salafi Alliance. The Islamic Constitutional Movement won three seats, down from six. The number of Shiite members rose from one to five. Liberals, including members of the National Democratic Alliance, took seven seats. The Popular Action Bloc took four seats. In all, 22 members were elected to parliament for the first time.
No women were elected although some of the women candidates were runners-up. On 28 May, the Emir appointed a new 16-member cabinet, including two women, who are ex officio members of parliament. Mr. Fadil Safar, a Shiite activist arrested in a March 2008 crackdown, became Minister of Public Works and Municipalities.
The newly elected parliament held its first session on 1 June and re-elected Mr. Jasem Mohammad Abdulmuhsen Al-Khurafi as Speaker for the fourth time. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 17 May 2008 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
361'684
214'886 (59.41%)
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Notes
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| Distribution of votes |
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| Distribution of seats |
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| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
50
0
0.00%
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| Distribution of seats according to age |
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| Distribution of seats according to profession |
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| Comments |
| No woman candidate was elected in the 2008 elections. Two women were appointed to the 16-member cabinet sworn in in June 2008. As cabinet ministers also sit in parliament, there are two women out of a total of 65 members. |
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A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page