kuwaiti Emir dissolves parliment

[Mojorabbit]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/03bdf0c6-e908-11da-b110-0000779e2340.html
Kuwait’s new emir dissolved parliament on Sunday in an apparent bid to reassert control over increasingly rebellious members.


The resulting political crisis could further delay decisions on whether to re-open Kuwait’s oil industry to multinationals as well as billions of dollars of defence contracts.

The Emir, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah, who came to power only three months ago, took the move apparently to prevent lawmakers from questioning the prime minister, also a royal, about an escalating dispute over changes in the electoral law.

Kuwait is the only Arab parliament with powers to bring down the government. Members played a crucial role in resolving a succession crisis in February when they voted to depose an emir incapacitated by ill health, who had himself succeeded to the throne only a week before.
snip
The Kuwaiti parliament had also been due to consider new defence spending and Project Kuwait, an $8.5bn plan aimed at boosting oil production with the help of foreign firms.

Kuwaiti energy officials have warned that the emirate will be unable to increase its production from 2.5m to 4m barrels a day by 2025 without allowing international oil companies to return, some 30 years after Kuwait nationalised its oil industry.

[lovuian]

1. Ya I saw the Emir is taking more power forget elections

there is some interesting power grabs going on ... can these sheiks hold onto power thats the question???

[opihimoimoi]

2. Turning Facist....??? Hmmmm...what else is new?

[uppityperson]

3. Mr.bush sits up and takes notice ("Emir, I like the sound of that")

"Dissove parliment? hmmm"

[jpak]

4. And I thought the first Gulf War was about the liberation of Kuwait

and "freedom".

But I guess it was just about American troops fighting and dying to put a despotic petro-monarch back on his throne.

George Washington rolls in his grave...

[FreakinDJ]

5. Promoting Democracy in the region

I can see how well Bush's plan is working

[davepc]

6. It in keeping with a Parliamentary system of government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_parliament

In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.

Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time. Early dissolution's are allowed in many jurisdictions.

Nothing terrible undemocratic about it, unless you think parliamentary systems are undemocratic....

The Canadians did it a few months back.

http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partII/2005/20051201-x6/html/si130-e.html

[Odin2005]

7. "to dissolve parliament" means call an election in a parliamentary system.

I wouldn't get too concerned about this.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. True, but it's Kuwait.

"Parliament" doesn't really apply in the first place.