Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah issued a decree on Wednesday, suspending parliament’s sessions for one month as of Feb. 18, state news agency KUNA said.
The move follows a standoff between the elected assembly and the appointed government that led the cabinet to resign last month. The emir, facing his first big political challenge since assuming power in September, had reappointed Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah to nominate a new cabinet. KUNA gave no further details in the statement, which was also carried on the cabinet Twitter account.
The National Assembly is the unicameral legislature of Kuwait. The National Assembly meets in Kuwait City. Members are chosen through direct election; the country is divided into five electoral districts with ten members representing each district. There are no official political parties in Kuwait, therefore candidates run as independents during elections; upon winning, members usually form informal parliamentary blocs.
The National Assembly is made up of 50 elected members as well as up to 16 appointed government ministers who are ex officio members.
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