Kuwait parliament term to end on October 8

Kuwait City: The speaker of Kuwait’s National Assembly (parliament), Marzouq Al Ghanim, announced that the 15th National Assembly term will end on Thursday, October 8.

With regards to the naming of the crown prince, Al Ghanim pointed out that this is in the hands of the Emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Sabah who, according to the constitution, has a year to choose who his crown prince will be. Al Ghanim went on to say that in the event Sheikh Nawaf decides to nominate a crown prince by Wednesday, he will call for a special session on Thursday to vote on the nomination.

According to the Kuwaiti constitution, the Emir’s nomination for crown prince must be approved by the National Assembly. In the case that the majority of National Assembly votes against the nomination, the Emir must submit three other names, one of which the National Assembly must approve.

Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in as the new Emir of Kuwait on September 30, after the late Emi, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, passed away a day earlier. Sheikh Nawaf was temporarily given some of the Emir’s constitutional duties on July 18 when the Emir was admitted to hospital for medical checks. Under Kuwaiti law, in the absence of the Emir, the deputy Emir is appointed as acting ruler.

The 15th National Assembly was supposed to end last Thursday, but was postponed after the passing of Sheikh Sabah.

The National Assembly will end its four-year term, which began on December 11, 2016 after elections were held on November 26, 2016.