KUWAIT CITY, July 28: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah met with members of the opposition Majority Bloc Thursday evening to discuss the current political atmosphere and exchange viewpoints.
MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei revealed that members of the majority’s coordination committee as well as MP Khaled Sultan met the PM on Thursday and that he “promised to relay the (opposition’s) stance to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.” The meeting is the first in a series of discussion between the legislative and executive authorities.
The opposition Majority Bloc is adamant in their opposition of any changes to the electoral system. A petition called ‘The People are the Source of Power’ was launched on Thursday calling on citizens to boycott voting or running in the upcoming elections if changes to the electoral system take place. It refuses the involvement of the judiciary in political disputes and insisted that any amendment must be passed in the next Parliament.
Objectors to the amendment of the electoral system and the continuation of the 2009 Assembly increased on Saturday with more opposition activists announcing their intention to boycott the upcoming elections. MPs Faisal Al-Muslim and Khaled Al-Tahous as well as Ammar Al-Ajmi and Abdullatif Al-Ameeri announced they will sign the ‘The People are the Source of Power’ petition upon their return to Kuwait, increasing the signatures of lawmakers from 27 to 31.
Meanwhile, whether the July 31 parliament session will meet the quorum or not to swear-in the new Cabinet remains unpredictable. A number of opposition and pro-government MPs announced they will boycott the session.
The National Assembly Office is expected to meet on Sunday to discuss ways to persuade all MPs to attend the session on July 31 to allow the government to take its oath in front of the 2009 Parliament. MP Mohammed Al-Mutairi on Thursday submitted his resignation letter to the National Assembly office and some MPs are expected to follow suit.