Government of Kuwait - Political Parties and Elections

Political Parties and Elections

The constitution calls for new elections to be held at a maximum interval of four years (or earlier if the Amir dissolves the parliament). Kuwait has universal adult suffrage for Kuwaiti citizens who are 21 or older, with the exception of (1) those who currently serve in the armed or police forces, (2) citizens who have been naturalized for fewer than 20 years. The franchise was expanded to include women on May 16, 2005. In 1996 naturalized citizens were given the right to vote, but only after they had been naturalized for at least 30 years.

Most residents of Kuwait are not citizens and consequently do not have the right to vote. Kuwait's citizenship law, in theory, gives citizenship to those who descend, in the male line, from residents of Kuwait in 1920.

It can be difficult to summarize Kuwaiti election results because most candidates run as independents. In the 2003 elections the liberal/left Minbar al-Dimuqrati group lost both the seats it held in the 1999 parliament. The Salafis doubled their representation, to 6 seats. The Muslim Brotherhood, or Islamic Constitutional Movement (Hadas) lost several seats, winning only 2 in the 2003 elections. The Popular Bloc lost 4 of its 10 seats.

Once elected, many deputies form voting blocs in the National Assembly. Following the 2003 elections, 16 deputies joined the Islamist bloc; 6 joined the Popular Bloc (a populist group that includes both Bedouin and Shi'a deputies); 4 joined the liberal bloc.

Kuwaiti law does not recognize political parties. However, several major political groupings function as parties in elections, and there are blocs in the parliament. Several political groups act as de facto parties: the Muslim Brotherhood, two Salafist groups, a liberal/leftist group, a populist group, and so forth.