National Issues
Two contentious issues, leading to six different elections between 1991–2008, involve issues pertaining to the electoral process and involvement of the ruling family in the government .
Accusations have been mounted that the government has fixed elections and that corrupt candidates, with friendly ties to the ruling family, buy their way into the parliament. The exclusion of women from the electoral process, prior to 2005, the minimum voting age of 21 and the fact that parties are still illegal, are also frequent points of contention
The Prime Minister has always been from the ruling family. The more liberal MPs generally distrust the political power of the ruling family, whereas the Independents and Islamists tend to see the family as a source of tradition, order and clan allegiance .
The Constitution does not allow the parliament to dismiss the Prime Minister directly, but does allow them to issue an indirect no-confidence vote and call the Prime Minister to hear and have to answer to public criticism of his policies . Such things would be illegal in other Gulf States and are seen, by the more conservative-traditionalist factions, as being beyond the pale .
It is possible that the future government will either not have anyone from the ruling family in it or that the Prime Minister will be the likely future king.
Read more about this topic: Politics Of Kuwait
Famous quotes containing the words national and/or issues:
“We are constantly thinking of the great war ... which saved the Union ... but it was a war that did a great deal more than that. It created in this country what had never existed beforea national consciousness. It was not the salvation of the Union, it was the rebirth of the Union.”
—Woodrow Wilson (18561924)
“To make life more bearable and pleasant for everybody, choose the issues that are significant enough to fight over, and ignore or use distraction for those you can let slide that day. Picking your battles will eliminate a number of conflicts, and yet will still leave you feeling in control.”
—Lawrence Balter (20th century)