Kuwaitis went to the polls last weekend amidst an unprecedented financial crisis which has brought into sharp relief the impact of the emirate’s intransigent political deadlock. For all of the subsequent focus on the minutia of the results, the most important question is: Will the outcome break the political impasse and enable the implementation of critical reforms? And the answer to that question appears to be no.
The 5 December parliamentary elections were especially notable as the first under Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who took office in late September (MEES, 2 October). Despite the pandemic, local media report that turnout was high. The vote resulted in the usual high turnover in the 50-seat National Assembly. (CONTINUED - 1001 WORDS)
