AFFILIATIONS OF THE 2006-2010 PARLIAMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 003826 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM KU NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SUBJECT: AFFILIATIONS OF THE 2006-2010 PARLIAMENT REF: KUWAIT 2602 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Campaigning on a pro-reform, anti-corruption platform, opposition candidates won a two-seat majority in the June 2006 parliamentary elections. Parliamentarians (MPs) have since organized themselves into blocs, which serve as a means for coordinating on a common legislative agenda and on relations with other blocs and the Government. Some MPs are also members of political associations and/or Kuwaiti tribes. The following is an outline of Kuwait's 50 elected MPs' affiliations by parliamentary bloc, political association, and tribal membership. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Pro-reform, opposition candidates made significant gains in the June 2006 parliamentary elections, an outcome seen by many Kuwaitis as a vote for reform and against corruption (reftel). As is usual, MPs have since organized themselves into blocs through which they cooperate on a common legislative agenda and coordinate with other MPs and the Government. What could be termed loosely as the Opposition is composed of three blocs: the Popular Action Bloc (9 MPs),the National Action Bloc (8 MPs),and the Islamist Bloc (17 MPs),giving the Opposition a two-seat majority in the 65-member Parliament. While these blocs share similar objectives on political reform, there are otherwise significant differences among them, particularly on social, religious, and foreign policy issues. There is also a 12-member Independent (pro-Government) Bloc and the 16 Cabinet Ministers who serve as ex officio MPs and always vote as a bloc. Three MPs, including the Speaker, have yet to join a bloc and may remain independent. ¶3. (SBU) Some MPs are also members of political associations, which operate outside Parliament; political parties are not officially recognized by the Government. The largest and most well-organized of these is the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM),the political arm of the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood, which has six MPs in Parliament. Other political associations vary in size and degree of organization; some are no more than informal groupings of like-minded individuals. The Iran-leaning, Shi'a National Islamic Alliance (NIA) and the conservative, Sunni Salafi Islamic Grouping (SIG) each have two MPs in Parliament. In the recent elections, some political associations backed independent candidates with similar political leanings, somewhat blurring the distinction between politically-affiliated candidates and those that were truly independent. ¶4. (SBU) Tribal, familial, and personal relations also play a role in determining MPs' positions on particular issues, especially when they are called upon to exercise their wasta (connections) on behalf of a relative, friend, or constituent. Twenty-four of the 50 elected MPs are of tribal origin: Awazim (7),Mutran (4),Eneza (3),Ajman (3), Rashayda (3),Otban (3),and Shammar (1). The urban-tribal division is an important distinction in Kuwait and one with significant political implications; tribal MPs tend to be either Islamist or pro-Government, whereas liberals rarely have tribal affiliations. In addition, in spite of being 30-35% of the population, there are only four Shi'a MPs in Parliament, a fact most observers blame on divisions within the Shi'a community. Given their diverse affiliations, MPs are subject to a variety of competing interests, which explains in part the complexity of Kuwaiti domestic politics. ¶5. (U) The following is a list of Kuwait's 50 elected MPs by parliamentary bloc, political association, and tribal affiliation. The list excludes Falah Al-Hajeri, a first-time MP who was appointed Minister of Commerce and Industry in July 2006, and the rest of the 16-member Cabinet. "Independent" here refers to candidates not formally affiliated with a particular political association. For a summary of Kuwait's political associations and full bios on all the MPs, please see our siprnet website. Islamic Bloc -------------- Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM): - Dr. Duaij Al-Shammari - Dr. Nasser Al-Sane - Jamal Al-Kandari - Khudair Al-Enezi (Eneza) - Dr. Mohammed Al-Bousairi (Deputy Speaker / Ajman) - Dr. Jaman Al-Hirbish (Eneza) Salafi Islamic Grouping (SIG): KUWAIT 00003826 002 OF 002 - Ahmed Baqer (Coordinator of the Islamic Bloc) - Dr. Ali Al-Omair Independent Islamists: - Adel Al-Sar'awi - Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabaei - Dr. Faisal Al-Mislim (Otban) - Dr. Daifallah Bou Ramya (Mutran) - Hussein Mezyid Al-Deehani (Mutran) - Khalid Al-Adwa (Ajman) - Abdullah Akkash (Mutran) - Jaber Al-Muhailbi (Awazim) - Dr. Saad Al-Shraye (Awazim) Popular Action Bloc -------------- National Islamic Alliance (NIA): - Adnan Abdul Samad (Shi'a) - Ahmed Lari (Shi'a) Independents: - Ahmed Al-Saadoun (Coordinator of the Popular Action Bloc) - Musallam Al-Barrak (Mutran) - Mohammed Khalifa Al-Khalifa (Shammar) - Hassan Jowhar (Shi'a) - Marzouk Al-Hubaini (Awazim) - Ahmed Al-Shuhoumi (Awazim) - Abdullah Mahdi Al-Sharfan (Ajman) National Action Bloc -------------- Kuwait Democratic Forum (KDF): - Faisal Al-Shaye Independent Liberals: - Ali Al-Rashed - Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager - Mishari Al-Anjari Independents: - Ahmed Al-Mulaifi - Abdullah Al-Roumi - Saleh Al-Fadhala - Marzouq Al-Ghanem Independent (pro-Government) Bloc -------------- National Charter Grouping (NCG): - Saleh Ashour (Shi'a) Independents: - Abdul Wahid Al-Awadi - Jamal Al-Omar - Waleed Al-Osaimi (Otban) - Mizel Al-Nimran (Rashayda) - Ali Al-Deqbasi (Rashayda) - Mubarak Al-Khrainij (Rashayda) - Khalah Al-Dumaithir (Eneza) - Talal Al-Ayyar - Saadoun Al-Otaibi (Otban) - Ghanem Al-Mai (Awazim) - Abdullah Raie Al-Fahma (Awazim) Not Affiliated -------------- - Jassem Al-Khorafi (Speaker) - Hussein Al-Huraiti (Awazim) - Mohammed Barrak Al-Mutair ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LeBaron