Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Arab Spring &
Quest for Reform
On 15 January 2006, the respected Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Sabah, died, leaving
Crown Prince Sheikh Sa'ad al-Sabah at the helm. Poor health, however, led to Sa'ad's ab-
dication (he died in May 2008) and the prime minister, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah,
took over.
Under Kuwait's 1962 constitution, the emir is the head of state. By tradition the crown
prince used to serve as prime minister but since 2003 the post has emerged as a separate
entity. The prime minister recommends cabinet appointments for the emir's approval, usu-
ally reserving key portfolios (such as the interior, and foreign affairs and defence) for oth-
er members of the ruling family.
In the Arab Spring of 2011, youth activists targeted the prime minister and his cabinet
for removal amid allegations of corruption and he was forced out of office in late 2011.
Opposition groups were joined in their discontent by the
bidoon
, stateless Arabs who de-
manded citizenship, jobs and benefits afforded to Kuwaiti nationals. A year later, electoral
reform prompted even more widespread protest and the elections of December 2012 were
boycotted by Sunni Islamists, certain tribal groups and youth groups, resulting in a larger
representation of Shiites in the National Assembly.
Nascent Democracy
Kuwait has an elected National Assembly, the role of which is only just beginning to live
up to the hopes of those who support a more Western-style democracy. The powers of the
emir, crown prince and cabinet are tempered by the increasingly-vociferous 50 members
of the Assembly, which must approve the national budget and can question cabinet mem-
bers. That said, the emir has the power to dissolve the assembly whenever he pleases (and
he has done so five times since 2006), but is required by the constitution to hold new elec-
tions within 90 days of any such dissolution (a requirement that, historically, has not al-
ways been honoured).
In May 2005, after years of campaigning, women were at last enfranchised and permit-
ted to run for parliament and in 2009 four women were elected to the National Assembly
- a move viewed by many as a sign of a new era of transparent government. Despite the
reticence of hard-line clerics and traditional tribal leaders, women now hold positions of
importance in both private and public sectors.
The country's parliament is still viewed with some scepticism as it is considered to stall
rather than achieve reforms, but slowly and surely democracy is developing.
