Will the Conflict Between the Parliament and the Kuwaiti Government Continue?

The elections for the National Assembly held yesterday, Tuesday, in Kuwait resulted in a complex parliamentary scene, with a majority of deputies traditionally known for their opposition to previous governments winning. This may complicate the task of Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah in reforming the economy and public finances if he fails to reach agreements with them on contentious issues. The rate of change in the new council, which consists of fifty members, is 24 percent compared to the 2022 parliament, which was elected on September 29 and was annulled by the Constitutional Court in March. Thirty-eight members from that parliament have managed to return once again. The number of Shiite seats has decreased from nine in 2022 to only seven, and MP Janan Mohsen Ramadan won the only women's seat, compared to two women's seats in 2022. The Islamic Constitutional Movement (Muslim Brotherhood) maintained the same three announced seats, but it is believed that they have other unannounced deputies, while the Salafis won a number of other seats. Political analyst Dr. Saleh Al-Saidi stated that "the continuation of the political turmoil is exhausting for the government and parliament," predicting that deputies will not dare to clash with the government leading to the dissolution of parliament "because returning to elections is a nightmare for them. Going through four elections in four years has never happened in Kuwait's history." Al-Saidi expected the government to use this card "to calm and tame any ambitions of the council." He stated that creating a consensus between the government and parliament requires a larger number of elected deputies to be ministers in the government, as choosing "two ministers (from the members of parliament) is not enough to ensure a strong relationship between the council and the government." Kuwait has been experiencing continuous conflict between the government and parliament for years, obstructing economic and financial reform projects, particularly the approval of the public debt law, as the general budget relies on oil revenues by about 90 percent. The International Monetary Fund stated on Monday that high oil prices are helping Kuwait recover from pandemic-related financial pressures, but the approval of a new public debt law soon is critical.