Kuwait Holds Third Election in Three Years Amid Political Deadlock

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Kuwaitis vote for the third time in less than three years Tuesday, in a parliamentary election.

Some 793,000 Kuwaitis, around half of the citizen population, are eligible to choose from 207 candidates, including 13 women, vying for the National Assembly’s 50 seats. It’s the lowest number of candidates since the 1996 polls.

Repeated elections have done little to end the deadlock, undermining confidence in the political system. This year’s polls have also been eclipsed by internal conflict among senior political powers. They take place as summer vacations begin and temperatures soar above 40C, which could further affect turnout.

Kuwait’s leadership dissolved parliament in April after the constitutional court annulled the results of an election held six months earlier. It reinstated lawmakers elected in 2020, but they were promptly sent home too.

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