Islamists win huge in Kuwait

POMED.ORG

Today, early election results in Kuwait indicate that more than 30 of the 50 parliament seats have been secured by the opposition movement, which includes Islamists, liberals and independents, as well as youth groups who cite inspiration from the Arab protests that swept away longtime leaders. The snap elections were called for by Kuwait’s ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, in December. Al-Sabah dissolved the chamber in response to a” deepening political deadlock that has stymied reform and held up vital development projects.” The four female MPs who served in the previous parliament lost their seats, but Ayesh al-Rasheed, a journalist and 2009 candidate, felt “women wouldn’t have won the four seats in the last election had they not had government support.” The Liberals also lost three parliament seats out of their previous five. “There’s obviously more traction now for the opposition groups. You have kind of a momentum,” said Shahin Shamsabadi, senior adviser at the Risk Advisory Group.

Sixty-two percent of Kuwaitis cast their vote on Thursday, this is up slightly from the 2009 election with 58 percent casting ballots. Kuwait’s rulers still retain full control over the country, but the parliament can challenge policies, initiate legislation, and bring no-confidence motions against officials. ”Meaningful constitutional reform is unlikely under the leadership of the current emir. However, after power transitions to a new generation, more deep-seated change is likely,” said Jamie Ingram, an analyst at Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, based in Qatar.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

4 Replies to “Islamists win huge in Kuwait”

  1. As long as the Emir is in control and pro-freedom etc I guess it’s not too bad, however if the Islamists take over there then it will make the West look foolish for not letting Saddam take control back in 1990. What is wrong with these people???

  2. Guess that our defense of Kuwait was money well spent then. Guess Ron Paul just might have a point?
    What the American people are going to say when they find out about this massive waste of their tax dollars I don’t know?
    What? They’re not going to find out? The political class and compliant media will never tell them that the country they defended will soon be run by their mortal enemies.
    Well I’ll be jiggered.