2006 Kuwaiti general election

General election in Kuwait General elections were held in Kuwait on 29 June 2006. They were the first elections in Kuwait in which women were able to vote and run for office.Elections held in 2006 IPU Background The National Assembly was dissolved by Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on 21 May 2006 after a month-long stalemate in the Assembly over an electoral reform bill. The government had sought to reduce the number of constituencies from 25 to ten, whilst the opposition favoured reducing the number to five; the reduction was aimed at reducing the effect of gerrymandering. Electoral system Following electoral reforms in May 2005, suffrage was extended to women and all Kuwaiti citizens 21 or older were allowed to vote, except for members of the armed forces. Campaign A total of 253 candidates ran in the elections, including 28 women.Fattah Hassan M. Kuwaiti Women Join the Voting After a Long Battle for Suffrage https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30kuwait.html 15 June 2026 The New York Times 30 June 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20251110144138/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30kuwait.html 10 November 2025 live Results Although 54% of the eligible voters in Kuwait were women, female voters made up only 35% of the total.Reformists sweep vote in Kuwait; women lose - Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/africa/30iht-kuwait.2093689.html 14 June 2026 The New York Times 30 June 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20110629000802/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/africa/30iht-kuwait.2093689.html 29 June 2011 live Pro-reform candidates were estimated to have won 33 seats, an increase of four from the 2003 elections. No women were elected. An additional 15 members of the cabinet also became members of the National Assembly. Islamist candidates 21 0 Pro-government candidates 14 0 Independents 12 0 Liberals 3 0 310879 1883 0 340248 IPU Aftermath The newly elected National Assembly opened on 12 July, with Jassem Al-Kharafi elected Speaker, beating Ahmed Al-Sadoun. Jassem Al-Kharafi Independent 36 Ahmed Al-Sadoun Popular Action Bloc 28 1 65 In late July 2006, an electoral reform law was approved, cutting the number of voting constituencies from 25 to five. https://books.google.com/books?id=EVqdiFh33gYC&pg=PA58 Economic Development and Political Reform: The Impact of External Capital on the Middle East 50–80 9781781008188 Glasser Bradley Louis January 2001 Although no women were elected to the National Assembly, one woman was appointed to the 16-member cabinet headed by Prime Minister Nasser Al-Sabah. References Kuwait Parliamentary election Category:Elections in Kuwait Category:June 2006 in Asia