Kuwait’s election brings little change to parliament or hope of overcoming years of gridlock

By NICK EL HAJJ
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Voters in Kuwait have returned most of their lawmakers to parliament in the third election in as many years amid widespread frustration with an ongoing political gridlock. Results released on Wednesday show that 37 lawmakers kept their seats in the 50-member assembly. Authorities didn’t release an official turnout figure, which analysts had expected to be low. Kuwait is alone among Gulf Arab countries in having a democratically elected parliament that exerts some checks on the ruling family. But the ruling emir appoints the government and can dissolve the assembly at will. In recent years, gridlock between the appointed government and the assembly has prevented the enactment of even basic reforms in the small, oil-rich country.