The Deputy Amir of Kuwait, Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, inaugurated the first session of the 17th legislative term of the National Assembly on Tuesday, on behalf of the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, following the elections that took place at the end of September.
After the opening of the new session of the National Assembly, the members elected Deputy Ahmed Abdulaziz Al-Saadoun (88 years old) as the Chairman of the Assembly unopposed. Al-Saadoun expressed hope that the upcoming phase would be "a phase of achievement between the legislative and executive authorities," according to the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), following the conflicts that marked the previous council until a decree was issued to dissolve it.
Al-Saadoun had previously served as Chairman of the National Assembly in the sixth term in 1985, the seventh term in 1992, and the eighth term in 1996. He has been elected as a member of the National Assembly for ten consecutive terms since 1975. His official website indicates that he was also elected Chairman of the Assembly in the annulled legislative term in 2012, and his membership in the Assembly continued for 11 consecutive terms until 2012.
Al-Saadoun was born on November 12, 1934, and worked as an Assistant Undersecretary for Telecommunications in the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications, and Telephones until he left government work in 1974. He was a founding member of the Al-Nahda Sports Club in 1955 and Al-Qadsia Sports Club in 1964, serving as Secretary General of Al-Nahda until the government closed the clubs in 1959. He also served as Secretary General of Al-Qadsia from its founding until 1968 and remained a member of the club's board until 1982.
Al-Saadoun chaired the Kuwaiti Football Association from 1968 to 1976 and was elected as Vice President of the Asian Football Confederation in September 1974, holding the position until 1982. He was chosen as a member of the High Advisory Body formed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in November 1990 during the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, and was also selected for the Coordination Committee stemming from the High Advisory Body, while chairing the Reconstruction Committee derived from it.
