General elections were held in Kuwait on 5 December 2020.[1][2][3] Two-thirds of the incumbents lost their seats, including the 2016 parliament's sole woman MP Safa Al Hashem.[4]
 | ||
| ||
50 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly | ||
| Turnout | 69.4% ( 4.2pp) | |
|---|---|---|
Background
editRegistration of candidates contesting for the 50 seats of the National Assembly took place between 26 October and 4 November 2020.[5][6] 102 schools were used for the 2020 National Assembly elections on December 5.[7] Each school had a clinic set up to check on the health condition of all those entering.[8]
Electoral system
editThe 50 elected members of the National Assembly are elected from five 10-seat constituencies by single non-transferable vote.[9] Political parties are not officially licensed, therefore candidates run as individuals, although many political groups operate freely as de facto political parties.[10] All Kuwaiti citizens (both male and female) above the age of 21 have the right to vote. Expatriate workers, who constituted 70% of the population, were not enfranchised.
Results
editOverall, opposition candidates won 24 seats, up from 16 in the previous parliament. The election was seen as a victory for the anti-government opposition bloc. Thirty of the elected candidates were under the age of 45; whilst there were 29 female candidates, none were elected, leaving the parliament without a female MP for the first time since the year 2012.[10] There was a total of 567,694 registered voters, of which 394,131 cast a valid vote.[11]
Aftermath
editFollowing the elections, a new Speaker of the National Assembly was elected on 15 December. Incumbent Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim was re-elected with 33 votes, defeating Bader Nasser Al-Humaidi, who received 28. Four members did not vote.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marzouq Al-Ghanim | Independent | 33 | 54.10 | |
| Bader Al Humaidi | Independent | 28 | 45.90 | |
| Total | 61 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 61 | 95.31 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 3 | 4.69 | ||
| Total votes | 64 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 65 | 98.46 | ||
Parliament unanimously approved a motion of noncooperation, meaning the cabinet must be replaced.[12]
References
edit- ^ @CGCKuwait (19 October 2020). "وافق مجلس الوزراء على مشروع مرسوم بدعوة الناخبين لانتخابات مجلس الأمة للفصل التشريعي السادس عشر وذلك يوم السبت الموافق ٥ ديسمبر ٢٠٢٠" (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Decree sets Dec 5 general elections". Arab Times. 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Kuwait sets parliamentary elections for December 5". Kuwait Times. 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Kuwait election sees two-thirds of parliament lose seats". yahoo.com. AP. 5 December 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ @CGCKuwait (24 October 2020). "يفتح باب الترشيح لانتخاب أعضاء مجلس الأمة اعتباراً من صباح يوم الاثنين الموافق 26/10/2020 ويستمر حتى نهاية الدوام الرسمي ليوم الاربعاء الموافق 4/11/2020 #CGCKuwait" (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Registration for Assembly polls opens on Oct 26". Kuwait Times. 24 October 2020.
- ^ "102 Schools for 2020 Polls". Arab Times. 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Kuwait PM: Health precautions must be respected at electoral locations". Kuwait News Agency KUNA. 25 October 2020.
- ^ Electoral system Inter-Parliamentary Union
- ^ a b "Kuwait polls: Opposition makes gains, gov't resignation accepted". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ Emirate of Kuwait: Legislative elections of 5 December 2020 Psephos
- ^ "Kuwait's minority government bows out after a month". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com.
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