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PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHKU #5186/01 3531014
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 191014Z DEC 05
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2234
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 005186 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2015 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KWMN KU FREEDOM AGENDA
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: HEATED DEBATE OVER ELECTORAL 
 
REFORM DESPITE POSTPONEMENT OF DISCUSSION UNTIL JUNE 2006 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 5136 
     ¶B. KUWAIT 5016 
     ¶C. KUWAIT 4740 
     ¶D. KUWAIT 4460 
     ¶E. 04 KUWAIT 1705 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Matthew H. Tueller for reasons 1.4 (b) 
 and (d) 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: On December 12, the National Assembly 
voted to postpone discussion on proposals to reduce the 
number of electoral constituencies, a key political reform, 
until June 30, 2006 (ref A).  The vote comes amid heated 
public debate over the issue.  Top government officials 
recently stated publicly their support for a reduction from 
the current 25 constituencies to 10.  The National Assembly, 
however, is divided on the issue: most pro-government MPs 
oppose the reform, while many liberal and Islamist MPs 
support the reduction.  The majority of Kuwait's political 
associations also support the reduction.  The Prime Minister 
told us privately that he does not want to see the Government 
take a clear position on an issue that still so evenly 
divides the Assembly.  The National Assembly Speaker offered 
us his personal view that the current Assembly would not act 
on the issue.  While supporters agree on the need for a 
reduction, they disagree considerably on the number and 
geographic distribution of the fewer districts, politically 
sensitive issues which could dramatically affect the 
composition of the National Assembly.  Another seldom 
addressed aspect of the reform is how many votes each voter 
would get in the reduced districts; some proposals would 
offer few improvements over the current system (ref E). 
 
¶2.  (C) Supporters of the reform argue the reduction would 
force candidates to campaign on political issues rather than 
familial, tribal, or sectarian connections, and is a crucial 
next step towards broader political reform in the country. 
Many pro-reform MPs see the postponement of discussion on 
reduction proposals as proof of the Government's insincere 
support for political reform.  Illustrating what is at stake, 
liberal columnist Dr. Ahmed Al-Rubei characterized the debate 
over the reduction as "a battle between the forces of 
democracy and those surviving on a monopolistic and corrupt 
system.  It is a battle to free this society and its 
parliament from the stranglehold of corruption."  End 
summary. 
 
Government Publicly Backs Ten Constituencies 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In a November 22 meeting with pro-government MPs, 
Prime Minister Shaykh Sabah clearly stated the Government's 
support for reducing the number of constituencies to ten. 
"The reduction will happen and there is no way to change 
that," he reportedly told the MPs.  Interior Minister Shaykh 
Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who heads the ministerial 
committee reviewing the issue (ref D), quickly echoed the 
Prime Minister's comments, saying the current electoral 
system "has encouraged tribalism, sectarianism, and 
factionalism." 
 
¶4.  (C) Minister of Public Works Bader Nasser Al-Humaidi 
reiterated the Government's support for the reduction in a 
December 7 meeting with the Ambassador, arguing that fewer 
districts would be "good for democracy and stability."  Under 
the current electoral system, most MPs worry more about their 
own narrow interests than national interests, he said.  If 
the reform were adopted the next National Assembly would be 
"very different from this one" and would be able to "act 
faster" on important issues, he argued. 
 
¶5.  (C) National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi both 
publicly and privately to the Ambassador (ref B) stated his 
support for ten constituencies, clarifying his previously 
ambiguous position on the reform.  He cautioned, though, that 
there was "no consensus" on the geographical distribution of 
the fewer (but enlarged) constituencies, which he 
characterized as a "thorny issue."  However, in a December 17 
conversation with the DCM, Al-Khorafi said he doubted that 
the current Assembly would act on the various electoral 
reform proposals.  He thought electoral reform would be more 
likely to come about after parliamentary elections in 2007. 
 
National Assembly Divided 
------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The National Assembly is divided on the issue. 
Nearly all pro-government MPs oppose the reduction on the 
grounds that it would increase support for Islamist political 
 
KUWAIT 00005186  002 OF 003 
 
 
associations.  Supporters of the reform argue these "service 
deputies" actually fear the reduction would erode their 
political support, which depends almost entirely on their 
ability to obtain government favors for their constituents. 
The Independent Bloc, a coalition of 18 pro-government MPs, 
publicly announced its strong opposition to the reform and 
even argued for an increase in the number of constituencies. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The majority of Islamist and liberal MPs, though 
disagreeing on most other issues, agree the reduction is a 
critical component of broader political reform in the 
country.  Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, liberal 
MP Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager, recently argued that "the 
reduction...will definitely and sharply kill the phenomenon 
of buying votes as well as transferring registered voters 
from one constituency to another."  Islamist Shi'a MP Dr. 
Hassan Jowhar said the reduction would force candidates to 
campaign on political platforms rather than personal 
relationships.  Islamist MP Jassem Al-Kandari stressed the 
reduction was "the door to political reform" in Kuwait. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) There is also almost unanimous support for the 
reduction among Kuwait's political associations, which stand 
to gain politically from more issues-based elections. 
 
Pro-Reform MPs Question Government Sincerity 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C) Many MPs supporting electoral reform question the 
Government's commitment to reducing the number of 
constituencies.  Deputy National Assembly Speaker Meshari 
Al-Anjari told Poloff on December 14 the vote to postpone 
discussion of reduction proposals "indicated the Government 
is not serious about political reform."  Al-Anjari argued 
that with its 16 ministers the Government could easily pass 
any reduction proposal, but chose not to because it would 
lose influence in the National Assembly.  Al-Anjari claimed 
the reduction would limit the widespread practices of vote 
buying and vote transferring.  The Prime Minister offered a 
different take on the influence of the Cabinet's 16 votes. 
In a casual conversation on the subject during the visit of 
former President Bush, Shaykh Sabah said the Assembly was 
evenly divided on electoral reform.  Using the Cabinet's 
votes to support either wide would be divisive and would 
undermine public acceptance. 
 
¶10.  (C) Shi,a MP Hassan Jowhar told Poloff December 11 that 
the Government was not only against the reduction, but was 
actively working to prevent its implementation.  During a 
December 11 meeting in support of the reduction, Islamist MP 
Abdullah Akkash argued that the Government's inconsistency on 
the issue proved it did not want the reform.  This view was 
echoed by other MPs who attended the event.  Additionally, 
liberal MP Ali Al-Rashed told PolChief December 18 the fact 
that the GOK, which had proposed the Assembly discuss the 
reduction proposals on February 13, voted for a June date was 
further proof "it was not serious about reform."  He 
commented that a June 30 discussion date, approximately one 
month before the summer recess, effectively killed the issue. 
 
Reduction Proposals Differ Significantly 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) While supporters of the reform agree on the need 
for the reduction, they disagree considerably on the number 
and geographic distribution of the fewer districts, 
politically sensitive issues which could dramatically affect 
the composition of the National Assembly.  Proposals range 
from ten constituencies to one, and one proposal even calls 
for maintaining 25 constituencies, but allowing voters to 
vote in any constituency. 
 
¶12.  (C) MP Al-Anjari told Poloff he introduced a proposal to 
merge the current 25 constituencies into five, each with ten 
representatives.  Under this system, each voter could cast 
four votes, which he argued would prevent a particular group, 
sect, or tribe from dominating any one constituency.  The 
National Democratic Alliance, a liberal political 
association, also made the case for five constituencies.  The 
controversial Islamist Ummah Party put forward a similar 
proposal, but called for the creation six districts. 
 
¶13.  (C) Shi,a MP Hassan Jowhar told Poloff he also 
submitted a proposal to reduce the number to five 
constituencies with ten representatives each.  According to 
his proposal, each voter would be allowed to vote for three 
representatives, a system he said would encourage candidates 
to run on three-person "lists."  He predicted only 15 
Islamist candidates could be elected in this system, though 
 
KUWAIT 00005186  003 OF 003 
 
 
he failed to explain why this was the case. 
 
Female Candidates Could Benefit 
------------------------------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU) The addition of females to the voting pool after 
the May 2005 passage of women's suffrage legislation is also 
likely to force candidates to campaign more on political 
issues than on "wasta" (connections).  Many observers argue a 
reduction would also increase the possibility of female 
candidates being elected in the 2007 parliamentary elections, 
although the prevailing consensus is that women are unlikely 
to be elected for a variety of other reasons. 
 
Shi'a Concern 
------------- 
 
¶15.  (C) Several Shi'a MPs have expressed concern that a 
reduction could disadvantage Kuwait's Shi'a community, 
approximately 287,000 of the 956,000 Kuwaiti citizens.  Shi'a 
MP Saleh Ashour told Poloff if either of the two reduction 
proposals introduced by the Government last year had been 
adopted only "three to four" Shi'a MPs could have been 
elected in any election.  (Note: There are currently five 
Shi'a MPs in the National Assembly.  End note.)  Another 
Shi'a MP, Yousef Al-Zalzalah, has expressed similar concerns 
in meetings with Emboffs. 
 
What Is At Stake? 
---------------- 
 
¶16.  (U) Under the current electoral system, constituencies 
average 5,500 eligible voters, each being able to cast two 
votes; the voting system is single-round, first-two-past the 
post.  With so few voters per constituency, electoral margins 
are remarkably low.  Many current MPs were elected with fewer 
than 1,000 votes -- two by only three votes -- and well over 
half with fewer than 2,000 votes.  If the number of 
constituencies were reduced to ten, there would be an average 
of 13,750 voters per constituency.  The addition of female 
voters would more than double this number, drastically 
reducing the possibility for the sort of electoral corruption 
believed to be widespread.  A reduction to only five 
constituencies, (very unlikely), would have an even greater 
effect. 
 
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