Kuwait's emir suspends country's parliament amid major political turmoil

Another Middle Eastern nation fell into the clutches of political turmoil after the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmed Al Sabah announced that he would suspend the country’s elected parliament for up to four years.

“I will not permit democracy to be exploited to destroy the state,” the emir said in the televised speech. The announcement stoked fears that the move could dismantle one of the Middle East’s last semi-democratic political systems.

“The unhealthy atmosphere experienced by Kuwait in previous years has encouraged the spread of corruption to reach most state facilities, and unfortunately it reached the security and economic institutions,” the 83-year-old said in his speech. “It has even affected the justice system, which is the people’s sanctuary of their rights and freedom," he added.

What is happening in Kuwait?

The emir not only dismissed the country’s parliament but also suspended several articles of the Kuwaiti Constitution. He called it a “transitional period” and stated that this time would be used to review “all aspects of the democratic process” in Kuwait.

During the suspension of the parliament, the emir and the cabinet will take over the 50-member Parliament’s legislative powers.

The decision came just a month after the oil-rich nation held national elections for the fourth time in as many years. While Kuwait chose a new parliament, its member had not yet begun their new session after getting elected.

It is important to note that Kuwait’s Parliament has frequently been dissolved in favour of new elections, the last suspension took place in February this year. However, a parliamentary suspension has happened only twice in the country’s history, in 1976 and 1986.

The country has witnessed frequent deadlocks between Parliament and the executive branch which has intensified over the past five years.

The Middle Eastern nation has been a staunch US ally since the 1991 Gulf War expelled occupying Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein. Kuwait also hosts some 13,500 American military personnel as well as the forward headquarters of the US Army in the Middle East.

With inputs from the agencies.