From: anwar+@cs.cmu.edu (Anwar Mohammed)
Subject: More on Kuwiati Elections and Aftermath
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 15:48:17 GMT


I thought I'd follow up Anisa's posting on the exciting events in
Kuwait with the following.


Subject: Kuwaiti Government resigns following opposition election victory

	CAIRO, Egypt (UPI) -- The Kuwait government of Crown Prince
and Prime Minister Sheikh Saad Al Sabah resigned Wednesday, one day
after opposition candidates scored a sweeping victory in the country's
first post-liberation parliamentary elections, Kuwait and Cairo radio
reported.

	Al Sabah's government submitted its resignation to the Emir,
Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, who then asked it to serve as a
caretaker government pending the formation of a new cabinet in about
two weeks.

	The new government was expected to be formed and headed by Al
Sabah, but given the strong showing by opposition candidates,
observers expect to see new faces in the cabinet.

	In announcing his government's resignation to the Emir, Al
Sabah said his administration, which was formed in April 1991, shortly
after Kuwait's liberation from Iraqi occupation, had to work under
difficult conditions for 18 months.

	He cited more than 700 blazing oil wells left behind by
retreating Iraqi forces. The country had no electricity and almost all
other vital public utilities were destroyed or put out of service.

	The prime minister said his government takes credit for
restoring public services ``in record time.'' Oil well fires were
extinguished and oil, the country's economic lifeblood, was pumped
again much earlier than all experts had expected, he said.

	He also boasted that during the 18-month administration of his
government, Kuwait has signed defense treaties with three friendly
countries -- the United States, Britain and France -- and the United
Nations Security Council passed a resolution on the demarcation of
Kuwait's common borders with Iraq.

	As a result of Monday's elections, 27 new faces will enter the
50- member legislature, the National Assembly, while eight members of
the parliament that was dissolved by the Emir in 1986 regained their
seats.

	The emir had accused deputies of causing political, social and
ethnic tension while the Iraq-Iran war was raging at their doorstep.

	Eighteen of the winners from 25 two-member constituencies had
ties with Islamic groups, both Sunni and Shiite, and about a dozen
were opposition liberals.

	In two weeks, the assembly will hold its first plenary session
to elect its speaker for a four-year term, which is also the term of
the parliament.

	The assembly will have full legislative powers, unlike the
partially- elected and interim National Council, which preceded it and
had only a consultative role.

	The Kuwaiti constitution allocates parliamentary seats for the
cabinet ministers and entitles them to take part in electing the
speaker, provided that their number does not exceed one-third of all
legislators.

	With this number of opposition deputies committed to reforms
and changes, observers expect to see a fiery parliament, especially in
light of the country's dreary experience with the Iraqi invasion and
seven- month occupation, which some opposition candidates in election
campaigns blamed on the ruling Al Sabah family.

	Among the hot issues expected to take center stage at the
parliament are demands for greater democracy, the country's security
affairs and relations with its neighbors, voting rights for women and
other sensitive matters.

-- 
Anwar Mohammed                FREE       Graduate Student
anwar+@cs.cmu.edu              THE       School of Computer Science
Voice: +1 412 268 3043     KUWAITI       Carnegie-Mellon University
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