Kuwait and Kuwaitis News

Country Profile
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait is a Sovereign Arab State in Western Asia.The name Kuwait has the meaning "fortress built near water".
Capital                                  Kuwait City

Currency                               Kuwaiti Dinar

Official Language                   Arabic

Population                             4 Million(2011 Estimate)



Kuwait is divided into 6 Governorates which is further sub-divided into Districts
More than two-thirds of those who reside in Kuwait do not hold Kuwaiti citizenship and thus cannot vote in parliamentary elections. 

Kuwait has the World's 5th Largest Oil Reserves
Kuwait is the 11th Richest Country in the World(per capita)


Politics and Govt.
Kuwait is a Constitutional Monarchy and has the oldest directly elected parliament among the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. The Head of State is the Emir or Sheikh , a hereditary office.Legislative power is vested in the Emir and the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution. The Emir of Kuwait can dissolve the National Assembly and call a national election, or in cases of national emergency can dismiss the National Assembly outright and assume supreme authority over the country. The Emir is the commander in chief of Kuwait's armed forces. The Emir has authority to grant pardon from the death penalty or prison.
Presently the country is under the Reign of the Al Sabah family.
 National Assembly
The National Assembly consists of 50 elected members, who are chosen in elections held every 4 years. Government ministers are also granted membership in the parliament and can number up to16 excluding the fifty elected members
There have been several conflicts between the Emir, the government and the National Assembly over various policies. The National Assembly was suspended from 1976 to 1981, from 1986 to 1991 and from May 1999 to July 1999, due to irresolvable conflicts between some members of the government and the Assembly.


Kuwaitis Storm Parliament
Demonstrators break open the gate as they storm the Kuwaiti National Assembly in Kuwait City after police and elite forces beat up protesters marching on the prime minister's home to demand he resign

Kuwaitis demonstrate inside the Abdullah al-Salem hall at Kuwait's National Assembly in Kuwait City on November 16, 2011. The protesters were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah over allegations of corruption

Kuwaitis demonstrate at Kuwait's National Assembly in Kuwait City on November 16, 2011. Protesters made their way into the main Assembly hall, sang the national anthem and left after few minutes

Kuwaiti security officers arrive on the floor as Kuwaitis demonstrate inside the Abdullah al-Salem hall at Kuwait's National Assembly in Kuwait City on November 16, 2011

Kuwaiti police confront protesters during a demonstration outside Kuwait's National Assembly in Kuwait City on November 16, 2011. Thousands of Kuwaitis stormed parliament after police and elite forces beat up protesters marching on the prime minister's home to demand is resignation

The emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, on Thursday Nov 17,2011 denounced the protest as a threat to the country's "security and stability" and called for "stricter measures to confront this chaotic behaviour",that is, to tighten security measures and make arrests if necessary after protesters stormed parliament in anger at claims of high-level corruption.
Kuwait’s Emir has ruled out dissolving the parliament or allowing the prime minister to resign, a key demand by the opposition, stressing that the storming of the National Assembly was a black day for the country.

 Kuwait Cabinet Resigns - Nov 28,2011

The Kuwaiti cabinet has resigned following a bitter dispute with opposition MPs(PM was due to be questioned in parliament by three opposition MPs on allegations of graft including charges that he transferred public funds into his overseas accounts)and the resignation has been accepted by the emir.
The announcement came after Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah chaired an emergency meeting of the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to discuss the emirate's latest political crisis.
The move also came ahead of a planned mass rally later today by the opposition to press demands for the premier's ouster.
Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir, was appointed to the post in February 2006 and has since now resigned seven times due to political turmoil.
  
 Kuwait National Assembly Dissolved

Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait dissolved his country's parliament Tuesday Dec 06,2011, three weeks after opposition protesters forced their way into the legislature to demand the prime minister step down.The decree did not set a date for new elections. Kuwait's last parliamentary vote was held in 2009.
Parliament has been dissolved 7 times since parliamentary elections began in 1963.
Opposition members had forced 6 previous governments led by Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to resign.