Elections in Kuwait - Election History

Election History

The earliest modern elections in Kuwait were held in 1921. Elections were held again in June and then in December 1938 for a majlis al-tashri'i, or Legislative Council. The ruling family dissolved the second Council in 1939. Following independence in 1961 elections were held in 1962 to elect 20 members to the constitutional convention.

The 1962 constitution calls for elections to be held at a maximum interval of four years (or earlier if the Emir dissolves the parliament). Kuwait's first National Assembly was elected in 1963. Subsequent elections were held in 1967, 1971, and 1975. In 1976, however, the Emir issued a decree suspending the parliament. New elections were held in 1981 and again in 1985, but the Emir again suspended the parliament in 1986. Following protests, the government held elections to an unconstitutional majlis al-watani in 1990, just before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Most Kuwaitis rejected this majlis: organized political groups, across the political spectrum, boycotted the elections and did not run candidates. Only a few deputies from previous parliaments ran for seats in the majlis al-watani, and most of these were from outlying Bedouin districts. Fulfilling a promise made during the Iraqi occupation, the Emir held new elections for the National Assembly in 1992. Elections were held again in 1996. On May 4, 1999, the Emir once again dissolved the National Assembly. This time, however, it was done through entirely constitutional means, and new elections were held on July 3, 1999. Parliamentary elections were next held on July 5, 2003. On May 21, 2006, the Emir dissolved the National Assembly through constitutional means.

The next elections were held on June 29, 2006. This was the first general election in which Kuwaiti women could vote. Over 340,000 Kuwaitis, including about 195,000 women, were eligible to vote for 253 candidates, including 28 women, but the women candidates failed to win a single seat This was also the case at the election held on May 17, 2008. However, at the subsequent election, held on May 16, 2009, four women were elected to the National Assembly, for the first time in Kuwait's history.