Kuwaiti parliamentary election, 2009
Encyclopedia
An early parliamentary election was held in Kuwait
on 16 May 2009, the country's third in a three-year period. Kuwait had voted on six occasions between 1991 and 2009. The election was notable in that women were elected for the first time since Kuwait gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961.
dissolved the National Assembly of Kuwait
on 18 March 2009 over accusations of supposed abuse of democracy and threats to political stability. The government had resigned just two days before to evade questioning in parliament. Suggested solutions to this recurring problem (government resignation) include the formation of a government without any members of the royal family (a so-called "popular government"), thus making the possibility of parliamentary questioning a reality, or appointing the crown prince as PM, which would make parliamentary questioning sufficiently unlikely so that it would not be a problem any more.
were victors in the third district; both received their education in the United States
. Also winning were Massouma al-Mubarak
and Salwa al-Jassar
. Women's rights in Kuwait
improved in 2005 when Kuwaiti females were allowed to vote and to run for election to parliament for the first time in the nation's history.
Reportedly, Sunni Islamists lost ground, while liberals and independents gained seats.
Summary of the 16 May 2009 National Assembly of Kuwait
election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top width=400|
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats
|-
|align="left"|Independents
|valign="top"|21
|-
|align="left"|Sunni Islamist
|valign="top"|13
|-
|align="left"|Liberals (Shia and Sunni)
|valign="top"|7
|-
|align="left"|Shia Islamist
|valign="top"|6
|-
|align="left"|Popular Bloc
|valign="top"|3
|-
|align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total (turnout 50 %)
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|50
|-
|align=left colspan=2|Source: Kuwait Politics Database
|}
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
on 16 May 2009, the country's third in a three-year period. Kuwait had voted on six occasions between 1991 and 2009. The election was notable in that women were elected for the first time since Kuwait gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961.
Background
The Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-SabahSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Sheikh Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is the Emir of Kuwait. Sheikh Sabah was sworn in on January 29, 2006 after confirmation by the National Assembly of Kuwait. He is the fourth son of Emir Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Sheikh Sabah is the head of the ruling Al-Sabah family...
dissolved the National Assembly of Kuwait
National Assembly of Kuwait
The National Assembly of Kuwait, known as the Majlis Al-Umma , is the legislature of Kuwait. The current speaker of the Assembly is Jassem Al-Kharafi. The Emir unconstitutionally dissolved the National Assembly in 1986 and restored it after the Gulf War in 1992...
on 18 March 2009 over accusations of supposed abuse of democracy and threats to political stability. The government had resigned just two days before to evade questioning in parliament. Suggested solutions to this recurring problem (government resignation) include the formation of a government without any members of the royal family (a so-called "popular government"), thus making the possibility of parliamentary questioning a reality, or appointing the crown prince as PM, which would make parliamentary questioning sufficiently unlikely so that it would not be a problem any more.
Results
The results were announced on 17 May 2009. For the first time, Kuwait, which has no political parties, elected female MPs. Four women will appear in parliament. Aseel al-Awadhi and Rola DashtiRola Dashti
Rola Dashti is a Kuwaiti activist advocating democratic reform, gender equality and increased roles for women in public life. Dashti lobbied for the May 2005 decree permitting Kuwaiti women to vote and run for parliamentary elections for the first time...
were victors in the third district; both received their education in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Also winning were Massouma al-Mubarak
Massouma al-Mubarak
Massouma al-Mubarak is Kuwait's first female minister, sworn in on June 20, 2005. She was Minister of Planning and Minister of State for Administrative Development. Massouma al-Mubarak was educated in the United States and is a professor of political science....
and Salwa al-Jassar
Salwa al-Jassar
Doctor Salwa al-Jassar was one of four women elected to the National Assembly of Kuwait in the 2009 legislative election. al-Jassar is the Chief of Center for Empowering Women and ran as an independent candidate...
. Women's rights in Kuwait
Women's rights in Kuwait
Women in Kuwait are considered to be among the most emancipated women in the Gulf region. Women in Kuwait can travel, drive, and work without their fathers' or husbands' consent and they even hold some senior government positions...
improved in 2005 when Kuwaiti females were allowed to vote and to run for election to parliament for the first time in the nation's history.
Reportedly, Sunni Islamists lost ground, while liberals and independents gained seats.
Summary of the 16 May 2009 National Assembly of Kuwait
National Assembly of Kuwait
The National Assembly of Kuwait, known as the Majlis Al-Umma , is the legislature of Kuwait. The current speaker of the Assembly is Jassem Al-Kharafi. The Emir unconstitutionally dissolved the National Assembly in 1986 and restored it after the Gulf War in 1992...
election results
|-
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top width=400|
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Seats
|-
|align="left"|Independents
|valign="top"|21
|-
|align="left"|Sunni Islamist
|valign="top"|13
|-
|align="left"|Liberals (Shia and Sunni)
|valign="top"|7
|-
|align="left"|Shia Islamist
|valign="top"|6
|-
|align="left"|Popular Bloc
|valign="top"|3
|-
|align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total (turnout 50 %)
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|50
|-
|align=left colspan=2|Source: Kuwait Politics Database
|}