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Kuwait

Monthly Event Reports

June 2023 | Kuwaitis elect another opposition-led parliament, raising fears of continued deadlock

Kuwaitis voting in the country’s snap general election on 6 June elected a parliament in which opposition candidates (those not tied to Kuwait’s ruling family) hold 29 of the National Assembly’s 50 elected seats. The election was called after the Constitutional Court annulled the results of the September 2022 election in March 2023 and reinstated the previous parliament, which was in turn dissolved on 1 May 2023. The composition of the new parliament is similar to the one elected in 2022 (37 members retained their seat) and has given rise to concerns that it will mean a continuation of the deadlock between an assertive, elected parliament and the Emir-appointed government, which has paralysed the country’s politics. Only one female MP was elected, down from two in 2022. Women’s rights activists have attributed the decline to the growing influence of tribal and Islamist MPs. Voter turnout was 59.3 per cent (up from 50 per cent in 2022).          

November 2022 | Execution of seven prisoners draws widespread condemnation

In the first use of the death penalty in Kuwait since 2017 (when seven people were killed), seven convicted individuals were killed by Kuwaiti authorities in a mass execution on 16 November. Only four were Kuwaiti nationals; the others were from Pakistan, Syria, and Ethiopia. All seven had been convicted of murder. The use of the death penalty has prompted international condemnation from the United Nations, European Union and Amnesty International, with the United Nations Human Rights Office spokesperson describing it as a “deeply regrettable step backwards by the Kuwaiti authorities.”

September 2022 | Election boycott ended but election candidates arrested

Legislative elections were held in Kuwait on 29 September. For the first time in a decade, they took place with the participation of opposition candidates, who ended a boycott that began over concerns of election integrity. Changes to electoral rules, which had the stated intention of preventing vote buying and manipulation, were introduced ahead of these elections. Opposition candidates now constitute 33 of the 50-member National Assembly. Notable too was the fact that two women MPs were elected - the preceding legislature was all male, although there have previously been women MPs. Voter turnout was approximately 50 per cent, down from 60 per cent in the last legislative elections in 2020. Prior to the election, three candidates were arrested for participating in a peaceful protest over the status of the Bedoon community, a stateless Arab minority in the country.

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
4 328 550
System of government
Constitutional Monarchy (Emirate)
Head of government
Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (since 2022)
Head of government party
Independent
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Single Non-Transferable Vote
Women in lower or single chamber
3.1%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
Not applicable
Head of state
Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
29/01/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
76.16%
Population Tooltip
4 328 550
System of government
Constitutional Monarchy (Emirate)
Head of government
Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (since 2022)
Head of government party
Independent
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Single Non-Transferable Vote
Women in lower or single chamber
3.1%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
Not applicable
Head of state
Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
29/01/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
76.16%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
No Action
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Arab Charter on Human Rights
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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