Kuwait Risk Management Report: Shiites lose more than half their seats in latest parliamentary poll

Kuwait has often been held up as a beacon for democratisation in the region. Friction between the elected parliament and the appointed government has been an ongoing problem, however, often resulting in paralysis of the state. Parliament has twice been shut down – from 1976 to 1981 and from 1986 to 1992 – and there have been three elections in the past 18 months.