Africa & Middle East · reference
🇰🇼 Kuwait
Constitutional emirate with parliament suspended
SystemConstitutional emirate with parliament suspended
Head of stateEmir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Head of governmentPrime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah
LegislatureThe 50-seat National Assembly has been suspended since May 2024, with parts of the constitution set aside for up to four years
ElectionsElections are suspended · the emir dissolved the Gulf's most powerful elected chamber citing chronic deadlock
Last election2024-04-04 · National Assembly election, the last before suspension
Next election2028 · elections envisaged when the constitutional review ends
Kuwait long stood out in the Gulf for a genuinely combative parliament, which repeatedly blocked governments and delayed development projects. Emir Mishal suspended it in May 2024, ruling by decree while a constitutional revision proceeds, and revocations of citizenship have followed. The OPEC founding member holds some of the world's largest oil reserves and sovereign wealth.
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