KUWAIT FREEDOM AGENDA: AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 003973 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA, D, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM PINR KU SUBJECT: KUWAIT FREEDOM AGENDA: AMBASSADOR'S DISCUSSES REFORM ISSUES WITH ACTING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER AL-HAROUN REF: A. KUWAIT 3961 ¶B. KUWAIT 3873 Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) During a September 6 office call that focused on thanking the Kuwaitis for their generosity towards victims of Hurricane Katrina, Ambassador raised key elements of the democracy agenda for Kuwait with the Acting Speaker, Abdulwahad Rashid Al-Haroun. Ambassador asked for Al-Haroun's views on reducing the number of electoral districts and formation of political parties. The Acting Speaker, (currently the third-ranking member of the Assembly),told the Ambassador that the first priority should be the reduction of the number of electoral districts from the current twenty-five to five, or at most ten. This would reduce the parochialism of members who are elected by narrow but unified constituencies, such as those from areas dominated by particular tribes. The result, according to Al-Haroun, would be a more coherent National Assembly that is able to focus on national interests rather than primarily on serving particular constituent interests. ¶2. (C) Ambassador noted that the Prime Minister seems to believe that the ball is in the Assembly's court for action on this matter (ref b). Al-Haroun acknowledged this but noted that the idea will require a push from the government and suggested that many of the recently-elected members were beholden to the GOK and therefore the Prime Minister may not be in a hurry to take actions which could result in loss of those seats. ¶3. (C) In response to the Ambassador's question, Al-Haroun submitted that both reform of districts and legalizing political parties were important, but that the reduction of districts should be the first priority. ¶4. (C) Bio Note: Al-Haroun is in his second term in the Parliament and is a member of the National Democratic Movement, one of two liberal political blocs. He is considered a moderate liberal and is known to oppose the cradle-to-grave support system for Kuwaitis, especially those in government jobs, pushing instead for support of the Kuwaiti private sector. He completed his Master's degree and his post-graduate study in the U.S. in political geography and regional and urban planning, respectively. LEBARON