Kuwait Parliament to Convene Tuesday in Potentially its Last Session

Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah. (Reuters)
Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah. (Reuters)
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Kuwait Parliament to Convene Tuesday in Potentially its Last Session

Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah. (Reuters)
Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah. (Reuters)

Kuwait’s National Assembly Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim announced on Sunday that he has called on parliament to convene for a regular session on Tuesday and Wednesday amid speculation that it could be its last with the government gearing up to submit a bill to dissolve the legislature.

Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah had in April announced that the National Assembly will be dissolved and that elections will be held in the coming months.

He also announced that he will oversee the dissolution process and issue a number of political and legal reforms that would “lead the state towards a new phase of discipline and legal guidelines so as to avoid disputes and eliminate all forms of abuse of power by both the legislative and executive authorities.”

The Constitutional Court had on March 19 annulled the results of the 2022 parliamentary elections and reinstated the 2020 parliament, with al-Ghanim as its speaker.

Relations between the National Assembly and government, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al Sabah, are strained and they are expected to play out during the parliament’s upcoming meetings.

Separately, prominent MP Badr al-Humaidi announced that he will not run in the elections.

In a message to the National Assembly, he confirmed that he would not be running, stressing that dissolving the 2020 parliament and calling for new elections will not change the state of affairs in the country or ease tensions.

Al-Humaidi previously served as minister of public works and minister of state for housing affairs between 2003 and 2006.



Saudi Arabia Welcomes Ceasefire in Lebanon

 A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Ceasefire in Lebanon

 A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Wednesday the ceasefire in Lebanon, hailing the international efforts that helped achieve it.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry hoped the ceasefire would lead to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability, and ensure the safe return of the displaced to their homes.

The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the ceasefire, commending all efforts that contributed to ending the conflict and expressed its hope for continued security and stability for Lebanon and its people under its national sovereignty.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation stressed the need for all parties to commit to the ceasefire agreement through the full implementation of Resolution 1701.

OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha underscored his full support for Lebanon’s stability and the right of its state to exercise its sovereignty across all Lebanese territories.

He called for humanitarian aid to meet the needs of those affected and for reconstructing what was destroyed in the war.

Moreover, he hoped that the ceasefire in Lebanon would pave the way for an immediate halt to the Israeli assault on Gaza and all occupied Palestinian territories.