MINISTER FOR CABINET AFFAIRS NOT OPTIMISTIC AFTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000577

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL KWMN KMPI KU
SUBJECT: MINISTER FOR CABINET AFFAIRS NOT OPTIMISTIC AFTER
ELECTIONS

REF: KUWAIT 565

Classified By: Ambassador Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: In a May 20 meeting with the Ambassador,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet
Affairs Faisal Al-Hajji said he was not optimistic about the
prospects for better relations between the Government and
Parliament following the May 17 election, which appeared to
return a greater number of Islamists and opposition MPs to
the Parliament. He said Islamists made an unexpectedly
strong showing and lamented that electoral redistricting
failed to make these elections more about national issues and
less about special interests. He said the political
participation by young Kuwaitis in the campaigns had been
underwhelming, and women did not win any seats because the
brief campaign period did not allow voters enough time to get
to know them. Al-Hajji expressed dismay at the aggressive
anti-government tone set by some of the MPs in the immediate
aftermath of the elections, and declined to speculate about
the composition of the new Cabinet due to be announced within
two weeks. End Summary.

Troubling electoral results
--------------


2. (C) In a May 20 introductory call by the Ambassador,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet
Affairs Faisal Mohammed Al-Hajji Boukhadour said of the May
17 general elections, which returned a greater number of
Islamists and opposition MPs to the Parliament, "I am not
against the election results, but I am not optimistic."
Proclaiming himself to be liberal and pro-democracy, Al-Hajji
said, "We need a change in policy or structure," noting that
the conflation of politics, special interests, and tribal and
sectarian identification in these elections was troubling.
He suggested that some in Kuwait would like to "climb the
ladder of democracy to attain a position of power and then
throw the ladder away."

Redistricting has not helped
--------------


3. (C) Al-Hajji noted that Islamists had made a surprisingly
strong showing in the third district under the new
consolidated five district system, and two of Kuwait's major
tribes had locked up almost all the seats in the fourth
district. Al-Hajji said the proponents of reducing the
number of electoral districts from twenty-five to five have
realized belatedly that this measure has not solved the
problems it was intended to address. (Note: The main
justifications presented for the consolidation of electoral
districts were, first, that it would it be more difficult for
a candidate to win by buying votes, and second, that
candidates would be compelled to run on more of a national
platform rather than one based on particular tribal,
sectarian, or commercial interests. End note.) He said that
those who formerly advocated for five constituencies were now
calling for consolidation to a single electoral district.

Women candidates disadvantaged, youth inactive
-------------- -


4. (C) Al-Hajji attributed the failure of any women
candidates to win seats to the short time frame (sixty days)
between the dissolution of Parliament and new elections,
which did not allow the women enough time to organize their
campaigns and allow the public to really get to know them. He
lamented that the participation of young people in the
electoral process had been less than expected following their
burgeoning political activism during the 2006 electoral
campaign. Parenthetically, Al-Hajji mentioned that his son
had worked on the campaign of Dr. Rola Dashti, one of the
most prominent female candidates.

More friction ahead
--------------


5. (C) When the Ambassador asked about the aggressive public
statements made by some MPs already calling for the grilling
of the Interior and Defense Ministers and suggesting that the
Prime Minister should be replaced, Al-Hajji said ideally
there would have been a period of "cooling down" between the
Parliament and the Government after the elections, but
clearly this was not happening. He expressed a faint hope
that the parliament's summer recess would create an
opportunity for political tensions to subside. (Note: The
parliament will only be in session from the beginning of June
until mid-July before going into recess until after Ramadan.
Parliament will then reconvene in mid-October.)

KUWAIT 00000577 002 OF 002




6. (C) When the Ambassador asked whether the composition of
the Cabinet would change, Al-Hajji said, "Only the Prime
Minister can answer this."

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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/
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JONES