KUWAIT-Emir Dissolves Parliament Amid Political Crisis

Kuwait's state news agency KUNA has confirmed that Emir Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has issued a decree dissolving parliament, a move that will trigger fresh elections less than a year since the previous vote in June 2023. The move comes after the gov't boycotteda session of parliament on 14 Feb in protest at what reports suggest was "an implicit insult by one of the deputies while discussing the response to the Emir’s speech."

• National Assembly Speaker Ahmed Al-Saadoun removed MP Abdul Karim Al-Kandari's comments from the official register, but a majority of 44 members then voted against the speaker's actions. For the government, this was viewed as an implicit insult to the Emir by parliament, an action that is prohibited under the constitution.
• The decree states that the "deliberate use of offensive and uncontrolled expressions" by the National Assembly the Emir and gov't had issued articles dissolving the legislature.
• Kuwait has one of the more open political systems in the region, with groups akin to political parties allowed to run for parliament (although the majority of seats go to independents).