Kuwait has no kindred spirit in the Arab Gulf region. It is a country, or rather a city state, apart. But Kuwait has a long history of Machiavellian political machinations and it faces an uncertain future. Saturday's snap elections did not stop the fiddling with questionable features of past Kuwaiti politics. Kuwait was the first Gulf state to adopt parliamentary democracy in 1962. In sharp contrast to Kuwait's February 2012 elections, critics conclude that this year's parliamentary poll has sent the wrong signals, even though others say that they send encouraging ones. The elections were held on 26 November, and they saw a momentous drop in the number of tribal candidates. The Mutairi, Kuwait's largest tribe, only secured three seats in Saturday's elections. MPs from the other two major Kuwaiti tribes also saw a drastic reduction in their parliamentary representation. In all, tribal candidates amounted to nine MPs, and they could be laid low in subsequent elections by the receding tide of tribal politics. The results of the parliamentary elections in Kuwait should also not obscure the fundamental political challenge of the rampant corruption facing the oil-rich nation. Oil exports accounts for 95 per cent of government revenues. Sadly, Kuwaiti democracy has richly deserved its low approval ratings. The 2012 elections saw 20 seats in the 50-seat National Assembly go to tribal-affiliated candidates, though this may be starting to change. Moreover, Kuwait's four female MPs in the 2012 elections have now been reduced to one, Safaa Al-Hashem, an outspoken and unveiled liberal politician and an advocate of women's rights in Kuwait. In conjunction with its generally liberal society in comparison with other Arab Gulf states, Kuwait's political system is generally acknowledged to be the most democratic in the Gulf Arab region thanks to its elected parliament which has legislative powers. Kuwait still bans political parties, however. Kuwait is one of the wealthiest members of OPEC, pumping about three million barrels of oil a day. Its cradle-to-grave welfare system pampers Kuwaiti nationals, but the country's budget deficit stands at around $15 billion. Kuwait is also a two-tier society. The Hadar, or urban elite, are those who settled first in Kuwait, typically along the coastal areas and in the city, and they are composed in the main of the merchant class and evolved in separation, both literal and figurative, from the Bedouin that traditionally roamed the desolate surrounding deserts. Kuwaiti citizens make up around 30 per cent of the emirate's population of 4.4 million. The Shia in Kuwait, keen to protect their interests and identity, now face a drastically reduced parliamentary representation, even though they represent a considerable amount of the country's population and are a key component of the bourgeoisie and merchant class. The political paralysis and perceived weakness of the ruling Al-Sabah family, led by 87-year-old Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, has contributed to the stagnation of political participation in the country. The impact of the present elections should also not be exaggerated, as around half of the successful opposition MPs hail from a Muslim Brotherhood-linked group and Salafis. One woman was elected, with only around 40 per cent of incumbents retaining their seats. Many Kuwaitis believe their politicians have reverted to their old ways. Recent government crackdowns on political dissent, including the shuttering of opposition media, the jailing of prominent opposition figures and changes to the electoral law, have undermined many Kuwaitis' confidence that the elections will matter. The opposition fielded 30 candidates among a total of 293 hopefuls, including 14 women. The fact that only one woman was elected and the Muslim Shia minority was reduced to six seats from nine in the previous house is disturbing to many observers of Kuwaiti politics. The 50 elected members of the National Assembly were elected from five 10-seat constituencies by plurality voting. Women, who have had the right to vote in Kuwait since 2005, were some of the first to stand in long queues outside polling stations when the voting began. Yet, it appears that most of them voted for male MPs. Eighty per cent of eligible voters had cast their ballots by the time polls closed at 8pm. Voters turned out in record numbers for Kuwait's first election contested by the opposition in four years. The stakes were high, with dissatisfaction mounting as falling oil revenues force deep cuts in public spending. This is the seventh time the Kuwaiti parliament has been dissolved since 2006. Campaigning in the present elections had focussed on austerity measures adopted in the past year after officials forecast a deficit of $31 billion for the 2016-17 fiscal year. The import of all this has not been fully grasped by Kuwait's neighbours. It may be too soon to declare a new dawn for politics in Kuwait.
