Royalty in the News

Divisions within Kuwait’s ruling family are exacerbating a political crisis that has paralysed legislation and threatened economic reforms in the OPEC state, lawmakers, analysts and diplomats said.

Last month, the cabinet resigned after deputies moved to question the Gulf Arab state’s prime minister, a senior member of the royal family, over mismanagment charges and allowing the visit of an Iranian Shi’ite cleric to the Sunni-ruled country.

“The political crisis in Kuwait is difficult to relate to one factor, but no doubt the infighting in the ruling family and their disagreement is one of the main causes,” Islamist parliament member Faisal al-Meslem said.

Other MPs, speaking on condition of anonymity, echoed those sentiments. Kuwaiti newspapers often report that members of the ruling al-Sabah family have encouraged MPs to grill ministers in order to weaken the government and boost their own influence.

“There is interference by some members of the ruling family to stir up trouble for the prime minister,” said liberal MP Ali al-Rashid.

A senior Western diplomat who regularly speaks to al-Sabah family members agreed: “You hear it again and again from Sabah members that some of them are trying to use lawmakers to stir trouble as they want to hold key posts in the country,” he said. The standoff is the latest in a series of rows between parliament and the government, which have in the past often led to ministers’ resignations, cabinet reshuffles and the dissolution or even suspension of parliament.

This time, Kuwait’s ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who has the last say in politics, is expected to accept the resignation and reappoint his nephew Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah as prime minister but no new lineup is likely to be unveiled until the new year.

Repeated political bickering is threatening long-awaited economic reforms, such as the creation of a regulator for the bourse that has shed over 30 percent of its value this year.

Such reforms have been made even more urgent by the global financial crisis, which has already forced the government to step in to rescue one of the Gulf Arab country’s largest banks.

TWO WINGS

Kuwaiti rulers have dissolved parliament five times since it was formed in the early 1960s and suspended the assembly in 1976 and 1986 for several years to end crises in the U.S. ally.

The emir dissolved the last assembly in March and called fresh elections in May but tensions have bubbled up again.

Splits within the family, which holds key cabinet portfolios such as defence, interior and foreign affairs, came to the surface in 2006 when the late Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah was forced to step down as emir just over a week after assuming power.

Adhering to the constitution and family tradition, Kuwait’s ruling family had named Sheikh Saad as ruler despite his poor health. He quit under pressure from some family members and MPs.

By appointing the current emir, Sheikh Sabah, the family interrupted a long tradition of alternating power between its two main wings – the Jabers and Salems.

There are no political differences between the two wings but deputies and diplomats said some senior members of the al-Sabah family want to play a bigger role and use parliament as a way to target the government.

“I’ve heard it twice from Sabah sources that some members try to persuade MPs to submit questioning requests to provoke a dissolution,” another Western diplomat said.

Others say some discontent may stem from the fact that the Salem wing is currently represented in only one key job — that of foreign minister.

“The ruling family is not united,” said political analyst Ali al-Baghli, a former oil minister.

Sheikh Sabah has appointed his brother Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah as crown prince and his nephew Sheikh Nasser as the prime minister, which means that the top three al-Sabah officials now all come from the Jaber wing.

Analyst Shafiq al-Ghabra said there were also differences within the political and business elite over whether Kuwait should open up to become a major commercial hub like Dubai, or adopt a more conservative approach.

“There are different views about what to do,” said Ghabra, who heads the American University of Kuwait.

Islamist and tribal MPs, who increased their grip on parliament in the May elections, often raise motions to strengthen Islamic values in education and have blocked government plans to explore some northern oil fields, partly because some object to the involvement of Western firms.

Reuters article written by Ulf Laessing, additional reporting by Rania El Gamal and Mahmud Harbi, Editing by Lin Noueihed and Samia Nakhoul