VZCZCXRO2029
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHKU #1833/01 1411900
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 211900Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4590
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHKU/OMC-K KUWAIT KU PRIORITY
RUEHKU/USDAO KUWAIT KU PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/CMDCFLCC ARIFJAN KU PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001833 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM KU FREEDOM AGENDA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
SUBJECT: KUWAITI AMIR DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT; NEW ELECTIONS 
JUNE 29 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 1789: FREEDOM AGENDA - THE GOVERNMENT 
        KEEPS ITS COOL AS PRESSURE ON ELECTORAL 
        REFORM HEATS UP 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 1773: FREEDOM AGENDA - BETWEEN 
        DISSOLUTION AND "GRILLING" 
     ¶C. KUWAIT 1744: FREEDOM AGENDA - KUWAIT'S ORANGE 
        REVOLUTION 
     ¶D. 99 KUWAIT 4870: REFLECTIONS ON KUWAIT'S 
        UNPRECEDENTED 91-DAY POLITICAL DRAMA 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary and comment: On May 21, the Amir issued 
decree 146 exercising his constitutional power to dissolve 
Parliament after weeks of contentious debate on reducing the 
number of electoral constituencies reached an impasse with 29 
Members of Parliament (MPs) intent on "grilling" the Prime 
Minister unless the Government supported five constituencies. 
 Describing democracy as "deeply rooted in Kuwait" and 
expressing regret at the failure of discussions between MPs 
and an intergovernmental committee charged with studying 
electoral reform, the Amir said it was incumbent upon him to 
make this difficult decision for the sake of Kuwait's 
security and unity.  Per Article 107 of the Kuwaiti 
constitution, new elections must be held within two months 
and Amiri decree 147 released after the dissolution scheduled 
elections for Thursday, June 29. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  This Parliament has been notable for its inaction 
on important reforms and for focusing instead on pork barrel 
legislation.  At the same time, the Prime Minister's divided 
cabinet did not exercise strong leadership in dealing with 
the Assembly.  The upcoming elections will be the first 
national elections in Kuwait's history in which Kuwaiti women 
will be allowed to participate as both voters and candidates. 
 Women's participation in the elections will more than double 
the number of voters.  In the period before the elections, 
the Amir can move forward on pressing legislative matters by 
issuing decrees, but this authority is checked by the 
requirement that any Amiri decrees issued during the period 
when Parliament is dissolved are voided unless approved 
retroactively when Parliament is reseated.  End summary and 
comment. 
 
¶3.  (U)  Suggested (IF ASKED) Press Guidance: We have 
followed closely the debate in Kuwait over reforms to the 
electoral law and understand the Amir has exercised his 
constitutional power to dissolve the Assembly and call for 
new elections.  This is an internal political matter that we 
trust will be resolved in accordance with the provisions of 
the Kuwaiti constitution.  Since May of last year when the 
vote was extended to women, Kuwait has been making important 
strides in expanding freedom.  As a good friend, the United 
States extends full support to the Government and people of 
Kuwait at this important time in the political history of the 
country. 
 
The Constitutional Power to Dissolve Parliament 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶4.  (U) On May 21, following weeks of contentious debate on 
reducing the number of electoral constituencies from the 
current 25, Amir Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 
exercised his constitutional powers and dissolved Parliament 
by Amiri decree 146.  In a televised national address, the 
Amir summarized the weeks of discussion on electoral district 
reform and said he had hoped that an ongoing dialog between 
MPs and an intergovernmental committee would be successful. 
Saying "There is no doubt that the charged climate in which 
wisdom was absent did allow for practical solutions," he 
concluded that, for the sake of Kuwait's security and 
national unity, there was no other option but to dissolve 
Parliament.  According to Article 107 of the Kuwaiti 
constitution, new National Assembly elections must be 
scheduled within two months or the dissolution will be voided 
and the Assembly reseated.  Amiri decree 147 set an election 
date of June 29.  During the dissolution period, Article 71 
permits the Amir to issue decrees which will have the full 
force of law.  Once elected, a new National Assembly must 
approve such decrees in order for them to remain valid. 
(Texts of Articles 71 and 107 provided below.) 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Parliament has been dissolved three times, most 
recently in 1999 for a 91-day period (May 4 - August 3, 
1999).  Former Amir Shaykh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 
 
KUWAIT 00001833  002 OF 003 
 
 
concluded that the GOK and Parliament were unable to 
cooperate and strictly followed constitutional procedure by 
dissolving Parliament and immediately scheduling elections. 
Current Amir Shaykh Sabah, then First Deputy Prime 
Minister/Foreign Minister, was reportedly the driving force 
behind the 1999 dissolution decision.  There are also two 
cases of unconstitutional parliamentary dissolution.  In 1976 
and again in 1986, the Amir dissolved Parliament by decree 
and failed to schedule new elections within the prescribed 
two-month period.  The first dissolution lasted four and 
one-half years; the second lasted for six years and three 
months. 
 
Dissolution: Not Necessarily a Bad Thing 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Amir is acting in accordance with his 
constitutional powers in dissolving Parliament and the 
decision may bode well for Kuwait's continued democratic and 
economic reform.  The current Assembly has distinguished 
itself by its inability to pass more than a few laws that 
serve the national interest, instead focusing on pork barrel 
legislation such as raising public sector salaries and 
forgiving outstanding electricity bills and interest on 
loans, initiatives that were rejected by the Government. 
Some observers suggest the Amir could introduce a 
redistricting plan during the dissolution period on which the 
upcoming elections would be based.  Even if this does not 
happen, the participation of women in the elections for the 
first time in Kuwait's history will more than double the 
number of voters and reduce the potential for electoral 
corruption.  The end result could be a Parliament that is 
less tainted by vote buying and more focused on national 
issues than the previous one. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Many Kuwaitis are likely to support the dissolution 
due to their frustrations with the current Parliament and 
their feeling that the debate over electoral reform has gone 
too far.  Criticism of the Government has been particularly 
intense and many MPs' personal attacks against Cabinet 
members like Energy Minister Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah 
and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet 
Affairs/National Assembly Affairs Mohammed Sharar for 
blocking reform legislation are unprecedented.  Others 
however will blame the Prime Minister and a divided cabinet 
for not exercising clear and strong leadership. 
 
A Last Resort 
------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Many see the dissolution as a last resort for the 
Government intent on reasserting its authority over an 
elected assembly seeking to grab a larger share of power. 
From the moment a bloc of 29 Members of Parliament (MPs) who 
support five constituencies, rather than the ten proposed by 
the Government, walked out of Parliament on May 15 in protest 
of the Government's proposal, tension has been steadily 
increasing.  In a May 19 rally, the MPs reiterated their 
intention to grill the Prime Minister if the Government 
refused to withdraw its proposal and introduce a five 
constituency plan instead.  They also vowed to boycott on May 
22 an extraordinary session of Parliament called by the 
Government to discuss its proposal.  Blasting the Government, 
Salafi MP Walid Al-Tabtabaei told the demonstrators, "There 
is nothing left for the PM but to resign."  Ahmed Al-Mulaifi 
echoed this view, telling reporters, "There is no room for 
any negotiations.  It's either five constituencies or the 
questioning of the premier."  According to most estimates, 
over 1,000 people attended the rally. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Parliament's 18-member Independent Bloc, which 
claims to support ten constituencies but opposes the 
Government's proposal, held a counter demonstration on May 
¶20.  The Independent Bloc MPs also criticized the Government 
for demographic disparities between the ten constituencies in 
its proposal and threatened to boycott the May 22 session if 
the Government failed to introduce a "fair" reform plan. 
 
So What's Next? 
--------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Although elections have now been scheduled for 
June 29, decisions have yet to be made on candidate 
 
KUWAIT 00001833  003 OF 003 
 
 
registration.  Potential female candidates who were preparing 
for 2007 elections have already begun to organize for an 
intense one-month campaign.  The Amir may use the dissolution 
period to issue Amiri decrees passing legislation that has 
long languished in Parliament and/or to announce a 
redistricting plan.  It is unlikely though that he will 
approve highly controversial legislation, like the Kuwait 
Project (development of the northern oil fields), since all 
decrees issued during the dissolution period must be ratified 
retroactively by the new Parliament.  The one exception could 
be a redistricting plan since the elected MPs would benefit 
from the change and thus be unlikely to reverse it. 
Parliament can also scuttle decrees.  In 1999, Parliament 
failed to approve an Amiri decree, issued during the 
dissolution period, granting women full political rights. 
Despite support for the measure among some MPs, they failed 
to ratify the decision to signal opposition to the decree 
process. 
 
¶11.  (U) Begin text of Articles 107 and 71 of Kuwait's 
Constitution. 
 
Assembly Dissolution:  Article 107 
---------------------------------- 
 
The Amir may dissolve the National Assembly by a decree in 
which the reasons for dissolution shall be indicated. 
However, dissolution of the Assembly may not be repeated for 
the same reasons. 
 
In the event of dissolution, election for the new Assembly 
shall be held within a period not exceeding two months from 
the date of dissolution. 
 
If the elections are not held within the said period, the 
dissolved Assembly shall be restored to its full 
constitutional authority and shall meet immediately as if the 
dissolution had not taken place.  The Assembly shall then 
continue functioning until the new Assembly is elected. 
 
Amiri Decrees:  Article 71 
-------------------------- 
 
Should necessity arise for urgent measures to be taken while 
the National Assembly is not in session or is dissolved, the 
Amir may issue decrees in respect thereof which shall have 
the force of law, provided that they shall not be contrary to 
the Constitution or to the appropriations included in the 
budget law. 
 
Such decrees shall be referred to the National Assembly 
within fifteen days following their issue is the Assembly is 
in being.  If it is dissolved or its legislative term has 
expired such decrees shall be referred to the next 
Assembly at is first sitting.  If they are not thus referred 
they shall retrospectively cease to have the force of law, 
without the necessity of any decision to that effect.  If 
they are referred and the Assembly does not confirm them, 
they shall retrospectively cease to have the force of law, 
unless the Assembly approves their validity for the preceding 
period or settles in some other way the effects arising 
therefrom. 
 
End text. 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
LEBARON