How Kuwait’s political gridlock is hampering economic policymaking, competitiveness

Al-Monitor Pro Members

Dr. Robert Mogielnicki

Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington

May 8, 2023

Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah formally dissolved the country’s National Assembly — or parliament — by royal decree on May 1, 2023. Institutional gridlock between Kuwait’s appointed government and elected parliament has hampered the ability to advance an effective economic policymaking and reform agenda, ultimately reducing the country’s economic competitiveness. Kuwait possesses massive sovereign wealth holdings and therefore very strong credit fundamentals, but the country’s economy is neither dynamic nor robust.