In an effort to end a standoff between the government and elected parliament that has impeded fiscal reform, Kuwait’s crown prince officially dissolved parliament on Tuesday, according to the state news agency KUNA.
Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah announced last month that he was dissolving parliament and would call for early elections. He had assumed most of the responsibilities of the ruling emir. He gave his approval to a new prime minister’s cabinet on Monday.
In the decree dissolving parliament, Sheikh Meshal stated that ‘it was necessary to resort to the people…to rectify the path’ in order to correct the political scene, the lack of harmony and cooperation, and behaviour that undermines national unity.
Kuwait, an OPEC oil producer, has historically relied on cooperation between the government and parliament, the most active legislature in the Gulf.
The current emir’s son, Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah, took over as premier late last month after the previous administration resigned in April in response to a non-cooperation motion in parliament against Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid.
Although political parties are forbidden in Kuwait, the legislature there has more power than that of comparable bodies in other Gulf monarchies.
Over the years, Kuwaiti parliamentary deadlock has frequently resulted in cabinet reshuffles and dissolutions of the legislature, impeding investment and reform. 2016 marked the most recent dissolution of the legislature.
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