The Kuwaiti opposition on Tuesday raised the bar to an unprecedented level. At a rally held outside the National Assembly building, several thousands gathered to protest the dissolution of the elected parliament by the constitutional court. The court ruling, the first of its kind in the state’s history, annulled a decree issued by the Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah earlier this year to dissolve the parliament. In February, another election was held and a new parliament (the current one) was elected.
Under the court ruling, the 2012 elections are void. Thus, it ruled that the dissolved parliament, elected in 2009, should be reconvened and the 2012 parliament should be dissolved.
The ruling came amid a rigorous crisis between the government and the 2012 parliament in which two ministers were forced to resign and which led to fears of political instability.
Today, the opposition, which controls the majority of seats in the 2012 parliament, says a new political arrangement, between the people and the ruling family, is a must. Its leaders have called, during the Tuesday rally, for constitutional amendments that would create “a parliamentary system” whereby the prime minister is elected directly.
That would represent a radical constitutional change, something that is unlikely to be accepted not only by the Emir and the ruling family, but also by a significant segment of the Kuwaiti people.
But most importantly, changing the constitution can be a risky move. The Kuwaiti constitution is considered one of the most progressive political contractual documents. It allowed the flourishing of a vibrant and stable democratic system in a conservative region. It has also weathered many attempts of change for decades by both the government and the opposition.
Any proposal to amend the constitution to allow more freedoms and a more progressive system of government is not a bad thing. It is in line with the evolution of modern states. But would changing the constitution amid a political crisis be the rational thing to do? Very doubtful. It is a time for a calm debate in Kuwait for the sake of its stability and the stability of our region.
