After the decisions of the Emir of Kuwait to suspend parliamentary life for at least 4 years, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries did not issue any official reactions.
However, the Emir of Kuwait, Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, received a phone call from the President of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in which the latter expressed “the UAE stands by Kuwait with all the measures and decisions it has taken to preserve its stability.”
And Saturday, I transferred an agency Official Kuwaiti News (KUNA) quoted Mohammed bin Zayed as saying, “The stability of Kuwait is the stability of the Emirates because of the strong and close fraternal relations between them.”
There was no announcement from the UAE regarding this phone call, which “increased the speculation of some observers who expressed (fear) about the only Gulf democracy, and that it would lose this privilege to join the ranks of its neighbors,” according to Agence France-Presse.
Meanwhile, Oman announced on Saturday that Sultan Haitham bin Tariq will arrive in Kuwait on Monday on a “state visit” to “discuss a number of fraternal areas and aspects of common interest,” according to the Omani News Agency.
“Purely an internal matter”
Analysts explain that the Gulf silence regarding the decisions of the Emir of Kuwait is an “internal matter” for the Gulf state, which is distinguished from its peers in the region by having an active political life.
The general supervisor of the Security Research Center at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, Hisham Al-Ghannam, an expert in political science and international relations, told the “Al-Hurra” website that “countries do not coordinate in their internal affairs with any country, and it is surprising that we find (Gulf) positions towards “What is happening in Kuwait is other than the general talk about the historical fraternal relationship that brings the Gulf states together.”
On Friday, the Emir of Kuwait decided to dissolve the National Assembly and assume the duties of legislative authority with the government, about a month and a half after the parliamentary elections, in a step described as “historic” in the wealthy Gulf state that is witnessing recurring political crises.
KUNA reported that “an Emiri order was issued to dissolve the National Assembly and suspend the work of some articles of the Constitution for a period not exceeding 4 years,” in addition to “the Emir and the Council of Ministers assuming the powers delegated to the National Assembly.”
Kuwaiti writer, Khaled Al-Tarrah, said that the Gulf states “respect” Kuwaiti internal policies, just as Kuwait respects the policies of its neighbors.
In an interview with Al-Hurra website, Al-Tarhar added that “it is not wise for the Gulf countries to comment on the decisions of the state symbol in Kuwait.”
“Fear of the Kuwaiti model”
Gulf analysts and opponents have long believed that the countries of the region view the Kuwaiti model with caution and fear, fearing that citizens of the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will demand political participation similar to what is happening in Kuwait.
Michael Herb, professor of political science at Georgia State University, told the newspaper:The New York TimesThe recent Kuwaiti decisions represent “a serious setback for democracy in the Middle East.”
He added: “Suspension of Parliament threatens to make Kuwait authoritarian like other Gulf kingdoms.”
In contrast to other Gulf states, Kuwait has an active political life and a strong parliament, although the keys to power remain primarily in the hands of the ruling Al-Sabah family.
“It has no effect”
The Kuwaiti parliament is considered much stronger than the elected or appointed councils in other Gulf countries, as it has the right to question members of the government publicly, in addition to approving the nomination of the Emir of the country to the Crown Prince.
However, Gulf analysts believe that Kuwait’s democratic experience is “not inspiring” for their countries, given that it has contributed to the decline in development, unlike other countries where the development train is progressing to advanced levels.
The professor of political science in the Emirates, Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, believes that the Kuwait experience “did not pose any challenge to the rest of the Arab Gulf states because it caused the decline of the Kuwaiti model and created chronic political instability.”
Abdullah Ali wrote platform “Ax” for Social Media stated that “Al-Aqel sees Gulf solidarity with the Emir’s decisions to emerge from the tunnel of instability and developmental decline and establish a new, stable and prosperous Kuwait,” adding that “this is a source of joy for the people of the Gulf.”
In this context, Al-Ghannam believes that the Kuwait experience “has no impact” on the rest of the Gulf states, adding: “What is happening is a purely internal matter, meaning that any impact, whatever the impact, will be on the people of Kuwait themselves.”
He continued: “The issue that the Gulf countries are afraid of the Kuwaiti model is nothing but an exaggeration because it does not affect the rest of the countries. This different and significant experience has existed for decades in Kuwait. Some may see that it has led to the disruption of the development process in Kuwait compared to its Gulf sisters, but it has no significant impact on the rest of the countries.” Gulf countries.
In addition, Sheikh Mishal attributed his decisions to the “interference” of some representatives in the Emir’s powers and the imposition of others “conditions” on forming a government.
He said in a speech broadcast on state television: “We have faced difficulties and obstacles that cannot be tolerated and remain silent about,” adding: “We find some people going so far as to interfere in the heart of the prince’s powers and his choice of his crown prince, forgetting that this is an explicit constitutional right of the prince.”
The Kuwaiti constitution requires that at least one representative hold a ministerial portfolio until the government formation is complete, but the prime minister-designate was unable to convince any of the representatives to participate.
The Prime Minister-designate, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, has not been able to form his government team since his appointment in mid-April, due to the MPs’ rejection of the ministerial portfolios he offered them, some due to dissatisfaction with the portfolios offered, and some due to their fear that it would be an interim government and they might lose their parliamentary seats in the elections. If they join it.
Al-Tarrah believes that the Kuwaiti model “represents an annoying headache for some countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, because there were periods when there were demands for the transfer of democracy to these countries.”
But Al-Tarrah says that this “headache is no longer real today… because there are economic development transformations in every GCC country.”
“It won’t last forever”
Development in Kuwait was hampered by repeated political crises related to the clash between the executive and legislative branches, which caused many governments to resign and the National Assembly was also permanently dissolved.
The final solution decision came 4 days before the opening of the National Assembly, which was elected in early April, and after representatives refused to participate in the government.
The reason for dissolving Parliament is often the demand of representatives to hold ministers from the princely family accountable against the backdrop of corruption-related issues, according to Agence France-Presse.
But analysts ruled out the end of this experience in Kuwait, saying that it is a temporary period to correct the course of parliamentary life before returning again to activate parliamentary life.
Ibrahim Al-Hamoud, a professor at the Faculty of Law at Kuwait University, believes that “this is a corrective period to calm the situation, in which there will be no National Assembly and elections will not be held, but the absence of democracy cannot remain forever.”
This is the third time that political life has been suspended in Kuwait, according to Al-Hamoud’s statements to Agence France-Presse, as the country witnessed the announcement of the same measures under similar circumstances in the years 1976 and 1986.
In turn, Al-Tarrah ruled out the final end of parliamentary life in Kuwait, noting that the Emir of the country’s past speeches are all connected to each other and emphasize “not deviating from the constants.”
He said, “There are specific mechanisms to develop the review process for greater freedoms, development and revision with the approval and participation of all parties.”
Christian Ulrichsen, an expert in Gulf affairs at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in the United States, believes that the prince, since he was crown prince, warned that “if the situation does not change, there may be a need to take strong measures and (return) to… Previous methods of governance, and many at the time, considered this a threat to suspend parliamentary life.”
“Kuwaitis must overcome the deep division that has characterized politics in recent years,” Ulrichsen said in statements to Agence France-Presse, adding that the country’s system allows the Emir to exercise his political authority, “and this is unlikely to change in any way.”
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