// Workers AI · dad joke modeDid the Kuwaiti election vote go well in December 2012? Was it a ballot to the future?
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1 December 2012
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50 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly | |
| Turnout | 39.6% ( 19.9pp) |
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| Constitution |
 Kuwait portal |
Early general elections were held in Kuwait on 1 December 2012 after early elections in February 2012 were declared invalid.[1]
In the elections, Shi'as won 17 out of 50 seats in the National Assembly,[2] an increase from the seven won in the February elections.[citation needed] Sunni Islamists were reduced to a minority.[2] Three women also entered the Parliament compared to men-only from the February election, but their number decreased compared to the 2009 election.[citation needed]
Turnout was officially reported to be 43%, the lowest in the Kuwaiti electoral history.
Background
[edit]Six weeks before the elections, the electoral system was changed to single non-transferable vote, with voters restricted to voting for only one candidate, having previously been allowed to vote for four under multiple non-transferable vote.[3] The changes resulted in mass protests and an opposition boycott of the elections.[3] Shafeeq Ghabra, professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences at Kuwait University said that, "it's clear that the boycott was very successful."[4] The opposition rejected a unilateral amendment of the electoral law that reduced the number of votes per person from four to one.[5]
Results
[edit]Aftermath
[edit]On 5 December, despite calls for political reforms, Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah was reappointed Prime Minister.[6] In the opening session of the Assembly, Ali al-Rashid was elected Speaker.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Al-Rashid | Independent | 33 | 52.38 | |
| Ali al-Omair | Independent | 26 | 41.27 | |
| Ahmed Al-Mulaifi | Independent | 4 | 6.35 | |
| Total | 63 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 63 | 100.00 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Total votes | 63 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 65 | 96.92 | ||
In June 2013, the Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the National Assembly and the holding of fresh elections.[3]
References
[edit]
- ↑ "Kuwait calls December election after months of unrest". BBC. 20 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- 1 2 "Shia minority makes gains in Kuwait election". Al Jazeera. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- 1 2 3 Kuwait elections: Constitutional Court orders fresh poll BBC News, 16 June 2013
- ↑ Hall, Camila (2 December 2012). "Kuwait suffers lowest election turnout". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ↑ Black, Ian (2 December 2012). "Kuwait election turnout shrinks after opposition boycott". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ↑ "Protests continue in Kuwait as emir reappoints PM". Al Bawaba. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
| Parliamentary elections | |
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| Municipal elections | |
* Constitutional Convention | |