Manama: Kuwait’s Constitutional Court yesterday postponed its decision on the validity of the controversial election law to September 25.
The much-anticipated session was reportedly marred by heated altercations between lawyers at both ends of the arguments supporting and opposing the challenge to the law.
The government in August referred the 2006 law to the Constitutional Court for its view on the constitutionality of articles one and two that reduced Kuwait’s districts from 15 to five and gave voters four votes.
The cabinet argued that it wanted to address possible loopholes that would allow people to challenge the electoral law and disrupt elections or void results, citing the case of the February 2012 parliamentary elections.
The Constitutional Court in June ruled that the decrees to dissolve the 2009 parliament and to call for legislative elections in February were unconstitutional.
The ruling de facto annulled the elections, dissolved the 2012 parliament and reinstated the 2009 unicameral legislative body.
The decision immediately waded into controversy and several former lawmakers have opposed it and pledged to resort to street pressure to have it reversed.
For the opposition, the move to refer the electoral law to the Constitutional Court was a coup by the cabinet to curb its influence within the parliament.
The 2012 legislative body was dominated by lawmakers affiliated with influential tribes and religious groups.
The opposition said that the government should withdraw its request to the Constitutional Court and call for new elections for a parliament that will have the prerogative to draw up the new electoral districts.
