KUWAIT: Ahmad Al-Saadoun has been named as Kuwait’s speaker of parliament after no lawmaker contested his candidacy on Tuesday.
Under Kuwait’s constitution, the 88-year-old lawmaker will hold the post until the end of the National Assembly’s four-year term.
His election came after Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah opened the parliament’s session on Tuesday after elections on Sept. 29.
Al-Saadoun previously served as the parliament speaker in 1985, 1992 and 1996 after being a member for 10 years starting from 1975.
Before the speaker’s election, the government was asked to leave the hall to allow members to elect the speaker “in a transparent and fair manner,” according to state news agency KUNA.
Al-Saadoun closed the first session of the country’s 17th National Assembly on Tuesday, calling for members to convene again on Nov. 1.
