Confrontation will resume, expert says.

Byline: Brown highlights three conditions to avoid dissolution of parliament.

Dubai: Kuwaitis go to the polls today to elect a new parliament but confrontation with the government will likely resume, according to Nathan Brown, Arab democratisation expert and political science professor at the US-based George Washington University.

"Political business will slow down in the summer and some parliamentarians will likely restrain themselves in the beginning to avoid being blamed for paralysis but confrontation will eventually resume," he told Gulf News.

The election of a woman to parliament has also been a hot topic where many analysts believe the likelihood is very real. "It could happen because it's no longer a taboo in Kuwait. However, it won't change much within the parliament but will make for an interesting dynamic where Salafi parties who religiously oppose giving women political rights will be forced to work with women to pass motions," Brown explained.

Brown said that a Kuwaiti parliament with women would actually garner more international attention which could make it harder for the Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to dissolve parliament in the future.

Today's elections will be extremely competitive as Kuwaits have grown frustrated with a number of issues, specifically the distribution of wealth and management of development The government has seen the highest level of scrutiny in years after Kuwaitis have grown ever more frustrated with the economic situation after the financial crisis.

Another trend in Kuwaiti politics has been the growing influence of tribalism. In earlier decades the government granted political rights to tribal leaders in exchange for the support of their constituencies in a move to combat what they felt was an increasingly independent parliament. "Now the tribes have learned how to work the system and have become much more effective and demanding," Brown said.

When asked what needs to be changed within the Kuwait politic to avoid continuous dissolution of parliament, Brown highlighted three preconditions:

"First a ruling family that accepts being questioned in parliament, a parliament that is organised into more cohesive blocs, and a Cabinet that has the support of a majority of parliamentarians." The Emir of Kuwait has the power to dissolve the assembly and call for new elections within two months. He has exercised this power on five occasions. He last dissolved parliament in March of this year after some Islamist MPs filed multiple requests to question the previous prime minister and nephew of the Emir, Shaikh Nasser Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

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