Kuwait’s new Cabinet was sworn in on March 3, six weeks after the previous Cabinet had resigned after mounting tensions between the government and the National Assembly and amid a growing sense of urgency in the political and economic challenges facing the country.

The inclusion of four new ministers in the Cabinet lineup, and especially the appointment of a former member of parliament as Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister, is an attempt to bridge the differences between the government and parliament that have so often been the source of political gridlock in Kuwait.

Kuwait’s National Assembly, which often challenges the government on a wide range of issues, is illustrative of arguably the most advanced, if sometimes raucous, democracy in the region.

The 50-member National Assembly, founded in 1963, is directly elected by Kuwait’s citizens. While some have lamented that the assembly sometimes contributes to gridlock on government initiatives, especially economic and development planning, Kuwaitis generally take pride in a democratic institution now entering its seventh decade.