National Assembly of Kuwait
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Template:Politics of Kuwait The National Assembly of Kuwait, known as the Majlis Al-Umma ("House of the Nation"), is the parliament of Kuwait. Its powers are largely controlled by the prime minister, a position by decree reserved to members of the royal family only. The Emir dissolved the National Assembly in 1981, and restored it after the Gulf War in 1991. In 1999 his government attempted to enfranchise women, but the Assembly overrode the Emir.
Until recently, suffrage was limited to male Kuwaiti citizens above the age of 21 whose ancestors had resided in Kuwait since 1920, and adult males who have been naturalized citzens for at least 20 years. On May 16, 2005, however, the Assembly passed a law in support of women's suffrage, allowing women to vote and run for office, as long as they adhere to Islamic law.
The 50-seat parliament is elected every four years. Currently there are 25 geographically distributed electoral districts. Every eligible citizen is entitled to two votes, though he may choose to only cast one vote. The two candidates with the most votes in each district win parliamentary seats. Cabinet ministers (including the prime minister) are granted automatic membership in the Assembly. Thus, the actual number of seats in parliament rises to 62 or more, depending on the number of ministers at a given time. The Cabinet ministers, including the PM, are excluded from voting on one occasion alone: when the Assembly wants to pass a no-confidence vote against them.
While political parties are banned in Kuwait, a number of political factions exist. The parliament is composed of different unofficial political factions in addition to independents:
- The Islamic bloc: Consisiting mainly of Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood members. The Islamic bloc is the most influential bloc in the parliament with around 14 members elected in the 2002 parliamentary elections. Their chief goal is the complete return of the Shari'a law. Bills lobbyed by the Islamic bloc include the elimination of co-education at the university level (passed in 1998).
- The Shaabi bloc: A loose coalition of independents with a focus on lower- and middle-class issues.
- The liberal bloc: With only five members elected in the 2002 elections, it is the weakest faction in the parliament. The liberal bloc supported the women's suffrage bill in 1999 and 2005.