Cairo: Kuwaiti lawmakers have said they ended a sit-in of more than a week at the parliament after the country’s crown prince announced the dissolution of the assembly.
Twenty MPs started the sit-in on June 14 protesting what they called “obstruction of the constitution” and failure to name a new government after the previous one quit amid a political gridlock with opposition lawmakers.
Kuwaiti Crown Prince Meshal Al Ahmad Wednesday gave an address on behalf of Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad and announced the parliament’s dissolution and called for an early election. He said a call for the snap polls will be made in the coming months after “related legal arrangements” are drawn up.
In support of the move, the protesting lawmakers said they had ended their sit-in, Al Qabbas newspaper reported.
They added in a statement that the royal speech “wisely charted features of a bright political future” in which relation between the legislative and executive authorities are balanced.
“We appreciate and hail this historic speech that came to confirm the political leadership’s respect for and commitment to constitution and steering clear from obstructing its provisions,” they added.
The Kuwaiti government resigned in April after more than half members of the 50-strong parliament backed a no-cooperation motion against it.
The resignation was accepted in May, and the government was request-ed to continue doing its job in a caretaker capacity.
In his Wednesday’s address, the crown prince cited what he described as a rift between the legislature and the government.
“In response to the people’s wish and respect for their people to seek judgement of the constitution, we have decided to dissolve the National Assembly constitutionally and to call for general elections,” he said.
The royal urged voters to pick qualified candidates, warning that mis-choice will harm the country’s interests and “bring us back to square one and atmosphere of prejudice and wrangling”.
