According to government spokesman Amer Al-Ajmi, the Cabinet resolved on Tuesday to hold early parliamentary elections on April 4, which falls within the final ten days of the holy month of Ramadan. According to Ajmi, “the Cabinet approved a draft Amiri decree inviting voters to elect the National Assembly on Thursday, April 4” during its meeting on Tuesday. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has received a draft of the decree.

According to him, the decree will be announced on March 3 and candidate registration would begin the next day. According to Kuwaiti election legislation, candidates seeking seats in the 50-member National Assembly must register for ten days. According to Ajmi, candidates can withdraw from consideration until March 28. Since the polls will take place during Ramadan, the Cabinet this week enacted an elections law that states that voting would begin at midday and end at midnight.

The Honorable The National Assembly was dissolved on February 15 by the Amir, who took power on December 20. New elections had to be held within two months of the Assembly’s dissolution, according to Kuwaiti legislation. Elected on June 5, the disbanded opposition-dominated Assembly convened for less than nine months. Since August 2022, this was the third Assembly to be dissolved.

Nine times since 2006, political disagreements have been the primary cause of the National Assembly’s dissolution and three times it has been declared void by the Constitutional Court. A candidate for parliamentary elections must be a native of Kuwait (naturalized citizens are not allowed to run for office), be at least thirty years old, and not have served time in jail or prison for any offense unless they have been fully rehabilitated.

Most of the 50 members of the parliament that was dissolved are anticipated to run for office again. Following the completion of candidate registration, polling campaigns are anticipated to begin. Due to the fact that members of the armed forces and law enforcement are prohibited from voting, there are around 800,000 eligible male and female voters in Kuwait.