2008 Kuwaiti general election

Early general elections were held in Kuwait on 17 May 2008 after the Emir Sabah Al-Sabah dissolved the National Assembly of Kuwait on 19 March 2008 over constant clashes between the government and the elected MPs.[1] The last elections were held less than two years previously and saw a loose alliance of reformists and Islamists gain almost two thirds of the seats.[2]

Politics of Kuwait
Member State of the Arab League
Constitution
Monarchy Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah House of Sabah
Government Prime Minister Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Cabinet No-Confidence Votes
Legislature National Assembly Speaker Ahmed Al-Sadoun Political Parties
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Administration Governorates Areas
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister: Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Diplomatic missions of / in Kuwait Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
Related topics Demographics History of Kuwait Human rights Kuwait Vision 2035
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Nearly 362,000 Kuwaitis were eligible to vote, more than half of them women, and 27 of the 275 candidates were women;[3] none of the female candidates won.[4]

New rules introduced for this election have changed the 25 constituencies electing two to five electing 10. This was a demand of the reformist Kuwaiti Orange Movement, which led mass demonstrations in 2006, who believed the change would impede vote buying electoral frauds.[5]

A leading theme in the election was inflation, which hit a record high 9.5% four months before the election. Many candidates in the election proposed increased governmental subsidies to be funded by oil profits.[6]