Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

is an

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

with an

autocratic Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except per ...

political system. The political system consists of an appointed judiciary, appointed government (dominated by the Al Sabah ruling family), and nominally elected parliament.

Constitution

The

Constitution of Kuwait The Constitution of Kuwait ( ar, الدستور الكويتي, ad-distūr al-Kuwayti, ) was created by the Constitutional Assembly in 1961–1962 and signed into law on 11 November 1962 by the Emir, the Commander of the Military of Kuwait Sheik ...

was ratified in 1962 and has elements of a presidential and parliamentary system of government. The

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

is the head of state, whose powers are listed in the constitution.

Executive branch

The

was promulgated in 1962.

Government

The prime minister chooses the cabinet of ministers (government).

Emir

The Emir's powers are defined by the 1961 constitution. These powers include appointing the prime minister, who in turn chooses the cabinet (government). Upon the death of the Emir, the crown prince succeeds. Power in Kuwait has traditionally been balanced between the Emir — particularly under

Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in t ...

— and the merchant class. Mubarak effectively built the modern Kuwaiti state, establishing the tax system, trade levies, a customs administration, and the provision of social services. Political institutions were built in Kuwait in large part due to exit vetoes exercised by merchants on Mubarak. The acquiescence of the merchants and the broader population to the rule of the Emir and the Sabah family was due to a division of monopoly rents: the Sabah family, through the state, to control the oil industry, and the merchants to dominate other industries. The public at large was given social services from education to health care, funded by oil wealth. This arrangement has allowed the ruling family "to maintain power without making substantial political concessions."

Judicial branch

The judiciary in Kuwait is not independent of the government, the Emir appoints all the judges and many judges are foreign nationals from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. In each administrative district of Kuwait, there is a Summary Court (also called Courts of First Instance which are composed of one or more divisions, like a Traffic Court or an Administrative Court); then there is Court of Appeals; Cassation Court, and lastly - a Constitutional Court which interprets the constitution and deals with disputes related to the constitutionality of laws. Kuwait has a civil law legal system.

Legislative branch

The National Assembly is theoretically the main legislative branch in Kuwait. The National Assembly theoretically has the power to remove government ministers from their post. The National Assembly can have up to 50 MPs. Fifty deputies are theoretically elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. Members of the cabinet also sit in the parliament as deputies.

References

External links

Current Ministerial Formation (Council of Ministers General Secretariat)Official English names of Kuwaiti ministers and ministries (Kuwaiti Government)
{{Asia topic, Politics of Government of Kuwait