{"id":18512,"date":"2024-04-04T20:15:36","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T20:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/04\/in-an-autocratic-region-a-glimmer-of-democracy-as-kuwaitis-cast-votes\/"},"modified":"2024-04-04T20:15:36","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T20:15:36","slug":"in-an-autocratic-region-a-glimmer-of-democracy-as-kuwaitis-cast-votes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/04\/in-an-autocratic-region-a-glimmer-of-democracy-as-kuwaitis-cast-votes\/","title":{"rendered":"In an Autocratic Region, a Glimmer of Democracy as Kuwaitis Cast Votes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/04\/multimedia\/04kuwait-election-1-hgzw\/04kuwait-election-1-hgzw-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,549&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"In an Autocratic Region, a Glimmer of Democracy as Kuwaitis Cast Votes\" title=\"In an Autocratic Region, a Glimmer of Democracy as Kuwaitis Cast Votes\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As the clock struck noon on Thursday, the doors to dozens of polling stations across Kuwait opened and voters rushed in to elect one of the Middle East\u2019s most robust parliaments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Candidates set up makeshift headquarters in tents, and coffee shops pledged discounts to voters. Swarms of people waited to cast their ballots \u2014 even though it was the fourth time in four years that they had been called upon to choose a new Parliament.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cParliament members convey the voice of the people,\u201d a voter, Asraa Al Ghareb, 31, said, adding that she hoped the new Parliament would bring \u201cactual and radical change for Kuwait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kuwait is far from a full democracy: Its ruler is a hereditary monarch, political parties are illegal, and the emir has the power to dissolve Parliament \u2014 the cause of Thursday\u2019s snap election. Frequent deadlocks between Parliament and the executive branch have led to political turmoil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But across a Middle East where many states are becoming more <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/02\/21\/world\/middleeast\/saudi-arabia-dissent-crackdown.html\" title=\"\">repressive<\/a>, Kuwait represents a rare alternative, scholars say, nurturing elements of democracy even after Arab Spring uprisings across the region were crushed more than a decade ago, and countries including Tunisia and Egypt began to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/05\/07\/world\/middleeast\/tunisia-democracy-economy.html\" title=\"\">march back<\/a> toward authoritarianism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While they cast their votes and expressed frustration at the political chaos in their country, young Kuwaitis said they were hopeful to see real change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cFor now, the most important issue is political reform,\u201d said Aziz Al Fahad, 26, another voter, arguing that even if people were frustrated, \u201cit\u2019s their duty to go and vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Two hundred candidates are running for the 50-seat Parliament in Kuwait, a Persian Gulf nation that is one of the world\u2019s largest oil exporters. The election results will be announced on Friday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe stakes can never be higher,\u201d said Bader Al-Saif, an assistant history professor at Kuwait University, emphasizing the importance of the elections \u201cin a region that does not genuinely believe in participatory politics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">&#8220;For this to continue to be the concern of rulers and ruled \u2014 that we want to move forward and try to find a formula that works best \u2014 that can never be underestimated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kuwait\u2019s Parliament is significantly more powerful than the largely symbolic \u201cconsultative councils\u201d in neighboring monarchies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and its members are often more boisterous than those in many other Arab countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">They have the right to publicly grill cabinet ministers, wield influence over the state\u2019s budget and must approve the ruler\u2019s appointment of a new crown prince, the heir to the throne.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But with so much parliamentary turnover and frequent cabinet <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/kuwait-pm-submits-resignation-cabinet-state-news-agency-2023-01-23\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">resignations<\/a>, officials are left with little time to execute their agendas. While many Kuwaitis are proud of their relatively greater political participation and freedom of expression, their country has lagged the rest of the Gulf in infrastructure development and economic diversification, despite maintaining a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swfinstitute.org\/profile\/598cdaa50124e9fd2d05b5f2\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sovereign wealth fund<\/a> that is one of the largest in the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. Al Ghareb said her priority as a voter was to fix \u201cbroken streets and poor infrastructure,\u201d as well as an increase in salaries and benefits for citizens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Pro-authoritarian elites across the Gulf, as well as some <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2008\/05\/06\/world\/middleeast\/06kuwait.html\" title=\"\">ordinary citizens<\/a>, have long argued that Kuwait\u2019s economic stagnation presents a cautionary tale about democracy\u2019s pitfalls, while the glimmering skyscrapers and bustling ports in the Gulf metropolis of Dubai display the benefits of an iron fist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But many Kuwaits insist that reducing political rights would not solve their problems, arguing that their system needs space to evolve.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe need to have more mature checks and balances that take into account levers to absorb tensions and anger,\u201d Mr. Al-Saif said. He called for a national dialogue that would lead to an amended Constitution, enabling the country\u2019s legislative and executive branches to work together more effectively.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When the new ruler, Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmed Al Sabah, came to power in December, after the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/16\/world\/middleeast\/sheikh-nawaf-dead.html\" title=\"\">death of the former emir<\/a>, he delivered a stern speech \u2014 accusing both the Parliament and the government of \u201charming the interests of the country and the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Parliament in session at the time had started off on an optimistic foot, with what appeared to be a new chapter of cooperation between the legislative and executive branches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But that changed in February, when Parliament was given the task of responding to the ruler\u2019s speech, a customary practice, and voted on approving a law stipulating an annual salary for Sheikh Mishal of about $160 million. In a public speech, Abdulkarim Al Kandari, a Parliament member, stated that he was \u201cashamed\u201d of approving such a sum when the government had recently postponed measures to \u201cimprove citizens\u2019 livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Soon after, Sheikh Mishal issued a decree dissolving Parliament, stating that it had \u201cviolated the Constitution\u201d by \u201cusing improper terms\u201d to address the ruler. That dissolution paved the way for the election on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Sunday, the emir gave a televised speech in which he called on citizens to participate, saying that anyone who boycotted \u201chas no right to blame anyone for the decline in outcomes or for poor performance and lack of achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As for the candidates, he said, they should \u201cavoid offending others, arousing the feelings of voters and inflaming their emotions at the expense of the nation and citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Kuwaitis and scholars who follow the country say they are unsure what direction it will take.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI hope that in the next Parliament there is cooperation between the legislative and executive branch,\u201d Mr. Al Fahad, the 26-year-old voter, said, adding that would help make sure \u201cthe interests of the people are addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Daniel Tavana, an assistant professor of political science at Penn State, voiced concern that the government\u2019s lack of a strategy or vision made \u201celectoral competition somewhat pointless and, to many citizens, exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe semi-democratic mechanisms that provide citizens input into how they are governed have atrophied,\u201d he said. \u201cThe abuse and decay of these mechanisms could, in the long term, render them permanently unusable, irrelevant or dysfunctional.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Mr. Al-Saif, the Kuwaiti professor, said that Kuwait\u2019s \u201crelative freedoms\u201d should not be belittled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cDon\u2019t give up on Kuwait,\u201d he urged. \u201cWe\u2019re real, and we\u2019re trying to figure out a way to manage being active in politics.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the clock struck noon on Thursday, the doors to dozens of polling stations across Kuwait opened and voters rushed in to elect one of the Middle East\u2019s most robust parliaments. Candidates set up makeshift headquarters in tents, and coffee shops pledged discounts to voters. Swarms of people waited to cast their ballots \u2014 even [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/04\/multimedia\/04kuwait-election-1-hgzw\/04kuwait-election-1-hgzw-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[23967,4122,2384,23968,23969,8732,3649],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18512"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18514,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18512\/revisions\/18514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}