Kuwait Ruler Dissolves Parliament

Kuwait’s emir has once again ordered the dissolution of parliament on Sunday, saying regional developments and “security challenges” meant the national assembly should choose fresh representatives.  The order was contained in a decree by Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah published by the Persian Gulf Arab state’s official KUNA news agency, just over three months since the current parliament was reinstated by the constitutional court.

The agency had no further details. Elections now need to be held under constitutional rules, Reuters reported.

KUNA reported the decree as saying the move was linked to regional developments and “security challenges and their different impacts and risks, that require returning to the people—the origin of authority—to choose its representatives to express its directions, ambitions and contribute to facing these challenges.”

Political stability in Kuwait, a leading OPEC oil producer and exporter, has traditionally depended on cooperation between the government and parliament. Liberals and candidates from some of Kuwait’s more marginalized tribes won seats in the last election in 2013, after opposition Islamists and populists boycotted the election.