Kuwait cabinet approves decree for Dec. 5 parliamentary vote

Kuwait’s new Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah gestures as speaker of parliament Marzouq Al-Ghanim claps during a parliament session, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. (Reuters)

• Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah assumed power last month

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s cabinet on Monday approved a draft decree for parliamentary elections to be held on Dec. 5, the government communications center said in a Twitter post.
Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who assumed power last month following the death of the Gulf Arab country’s late ruler, must still approve the decree.
The elections come at a time when the OPEC member state is facing a liquidity crisis caused by low oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, and the government is trying to boost state finances to plug a budget deficit.
Key will be cooperation between cabinet and the outspoken assembly, the Gulf region’s oldest legislature that wields power to block bills and question ministers.
Frequent clashes between cabinet and parliament have led to successive government reshuffles and dissolutions of parliament, hindering investment and reform efforts.