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." ********************************************* * 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/ ********************************************* * JONES