Daily Times

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah dissolved the parliament on Sunday, the official KUNA news agency announced.

“Due to the delicate regional developments and the need to face the dangers of security challenges, it became necessary to go back to the people to elect their representatives and contribute to confronting those challenges,” he said in a decree.

The move came less than 24 hours after the parliament’s Speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem called for snap elections in the face of mounting security and economic challenges.

Ghanem’s remarks came after lawmakers filed three requests to grill ministers over a decision to hike petrol prices and over alleged financial and administrative violations – in a clear sign of tensions between the government and parliament.

The emir’s decree was issued at the recommendation of the government which held an emergency meeting earlier on Sunday to discuss the standoff with the parliamentarians. No date was set for the fresh polls but elections must be held within two months after the parliament’s dissolution – under the Kuwaiti constitution.