Kuwait's Emir dissolves reinstated parliament and calls for new elections

Assembly from 2020 was reinstated by Constitutional Court last month

A Kuwaiti casts his vote during parliamentary elections in Kuwait City on September 29, 2022. AFP

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf has dissolved the reinstated parliament from 2020 and called for general elections to be held next month.

The announcement was made in a speech delivered on his behalf by Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad.

The Constitutional Court last month nullified September's parliamentary elections, regarded as the most inclusive in a decade, and ordered the 2020 assembly to be reinstated.

Assembly speaker Marzouq Al Ghanim called for a parliamentary session this month amid calls for appeals against the Constitutional Court's ruling.

Almost 30 political figures, former MPs and political activists had called on the government to challenge the court's decision.

Elections must be held within two months of parliament's dissolution, according to the constitution.

Prince Meshal said the "will of the people" was the reason for the decision and "legal and political reforms" would accompany the elections.

Kuwait is the only Gulf state with a fully elected parliament.

It adopted the parliamentary system in 1962 but has suffered political crises amid disputes between the government and the parliament.

Experts have warned that the court's ruling to nullify September elections will lead to increased voter apathy.

Some have said the country needs a "total political reset" amid the continuing impasse, which has centred on a draft bill calling on the government to assume the debt of Kuwaiti citizens.

The government says the move would be too expensive, costing almost $46 billion in public funds, while MPs have said it would cost less than $6.5 billion.