'Snap polls to be held within 60 days * No specific date set yet'

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued an Amiri decree today dissolving the Kuwaiti National Assembly, following an emergency cabinet meeting. The dissolution comes over ‘lack of cooperation,’ and days after several grilling motions were submitted against ministers. Snap parliamentary polls must now be held within 60 days as per the Kuwaiti Constitution and already politicians are gearing up for campaigning.

The decree to dissolve parliament, issued under Clause No. 107 of the Constitution, was in response to mounting security challenges as well as volatile regional developments, reported the state news agency Kuna.

Earlier today, the government met at Bayan Palace to discuss and approve the plan and refer it to the Amir. The cabinet’s extraordinary meeting was chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

The dissolution will halt the plans for a grilling of the finance minister. Last Thursday, MPs Abdullah Al-Turaiji, Ali Al-Khamees and Ahmad Al-Azemi filed to interpolate Finance Minister and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh over the government decision to raise petrol prices. Meanwhile, two other lawmakers Abdullah Maayouf and Ahmad Al-Qhudhaibi filed requests to grill the justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Yaqoub Al-Sane over alleged financial and administrative violations.

According to the constitution, elections must be held within 60 days after the parliament is dissolved. This will also prevent polls from being held in the summer as they were scheduled to take place in July 2017.

Soon after today’s dissolution announcement, now former Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem told reporters at the National Assembly’s building that His Highness the Amir decided ‘in his wisdom’ to dissolve the parliament. He thanked his fellow lawmakers, the parliament’s secretary general, the cabinet members and “all those who supported us during the parliament’s tenure.” Ghanem further stated that he was yet to be informed about the election’s date.

By Sara Ahmed