US embassy cable - 05KUWAIT4460

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 004460 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KU, PDEM, FREEDOM AGENDA, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 
SUBJECT: FREEDOM AGENDA: GOK FORMS MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE TO 
STUDY REDUCTION OF ELECTORAL DISTRICTS 
 
REF: KUWAIT 4406 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) 
 
1.  (SBU) The GOK has formed a ministerial-level committee to 
"study" proposals to reduce the number of electoral districts 
from 25 to 10, or fewer, and to register voters based on 
their civil identification numbers.  The six-person committee 
is headed by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior 
Minister Shaykh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.  Other 
members of the committee are: Deputy Prime Minister and State 
Minister for Cabinet Affairs and State Minister for National 
Assembly Affairs Mohammed Dhifallah Sharar, Minister of 
Energy Shaykh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 
Minister of Justice and Minister of Public Works Dr. Ahmed 
Baqer, Minister of Planning and State Minister for 
Administrative Development Affairs Dr. Ma'souma Al-Mubarak, 
and Minister of Information Dr. Anas Al-Rasheed.  The 
committee will submit its study to the Council of Ministers 
"when it is finalized," Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported. 
 
2.  (C) COMMENT: Most of our contacts believe that electoral 
reforms will not now be taken up this calendar year, with the 
reform emphasis now focusing on the revised Press Law, which 
most believe will be passed.  (The GOK will also spend 
considerable capital getting the huge project for exploring 
the northern oilfields -- Project Kuwait -- passed.) 
Formation of a committee is a time-honored way to kill an 
idea, but the committee contains at least two strong 
supporters of electoral reform, although they are the most 
junior: the Planning Minister and the Information Minister. 
The Energy Minister has not shown his cards publicly but most 
put him in the against camp, believing that he is quite 
comfortable with the way the current system allows the powers 
that be to influence legislators.  The other members are 
likely to be influenced by what they perceive to be Shaykh 
Sabah's leanings.  The last we heard from the PM on this 
issue, he was putting the ball back in the National 
Assembly's court -- slow death for reform proposals. 
 
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LEBARON