Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/29/kuwait-heads-to-polls-in-second-legislative-election-in-two-years
Kuwait is holding another legislative that has been the most inclusive election in 10 years with 302 individuals running in the parliament. Some opposition groups have also just ended a boycott to the election after Kuwait’s royal ruler pledged not to interfere with the election. The elections come after Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah announced the disbanding of the parliament after disputes broke out between legislators and the government. According to the Crown Prince, he stated that the parliament would be in charge of its own decisions, and the Prince would not support one side or another.
Kuwait’s parliament is made up of 50 members and pass laws, approve budgets and international treaties, and can impeach the Prime Minister. This election has also been more diverse than ever with 22 women running for parliament, and were not allowed to run before, which has caused major dissent among certain groups of people. A major issue in the Kuwait parliament is that candidates rely on social reputation, and not political agenda, in order to gain a seat in parliament. Political parties have also been banned in parliament, so it makes it more difficult for a candidate to stand out. Lastly, the parliament has also been corrupted by interference in the elections with government officials and allegedly buying votes for a candidate to win.
Kuwait has one of the most corrupted governments in the Middle East according to Transparency International. The government has failed to address the issue of corruption and has been going on ever since its inception, and there has been a lack of transparency in the decision making process. The Kuwait parliament has been involved in various scandals as well, but have taken some steps to fight corruption. In 2021, a law was passed that established all financials are disclosed amongst politicians and other government officials. The law also established a committee that was created to investigate corruption and established a special court for hearing specifically corruption cases.