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Faisal Abdullatif Al-Hamad has resigned from the board of directors of the Kuwait Investment Authority, which oversees Kuwait’s sovereign wealth funds, only three months after his appointment.

Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah opened the new session of Kuwait’s National Assembly (parliament) on 26 October, with a potential amnesty for exiled opposition figures at the top of the political agenda.

The government is considering allowing foreigners to fully own real estate, the daily Al-Qabas reported on 29 September. This would be coupled with tax measures to create a new source of revenue and attract foreign investment as the government looks to reduce its fiscal deficit and stimulate an economy struggling with the effects of Covid-19.

Minister of state Prince Turki Bin Mohammed Bin Fahd Al-Saud has been on the move again, visiting Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE in recent weeks.

Former prime minister Jaber Al-Mubarak was found guilty on 5 October by the Court of Ministers of complicity in the Army Fund fraud case. A sentence is due to be announced in November, but Al-Mubarak is expected to appeal against the verdict in the Court of Ministers’ first major trial.

Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has left Kuwait on another trip to Germany for medical reasons. His 29 September departure came just ten weeks after the emir returned from his last visit there.

The position of opposition figures exiled in Turkey is the hottest issue being debated on social media – a reflection of the issue’s importance to many Kuwaitis and why the exiles are playing such a part in the national dialogue intended to build bridges between a government weakened by Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed’s frequent absences for treatment in Germany and a fractious parliament’s determination to block vital legislation needed to kick-start the stagnating economy.

One year into his rule, and in an atmosphere of domestic political conflict, Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah told members of parliament and his  cabinet  on 29 September to start a “national dialogue” to end a stalemate that has blocked vital new legislation – including a long-overdue debt law which would allow the government to raise funds to cover its large budget deficit.

On 18 September, the government announced the largest restructuring of the public sector in Kuwait’s history. The roadmap, published in local newspapers, outlines a plan to merge several ministries and close others, reducing a bloated bureaucracy that is often blamed for hampering economic development.

Divisions among opposition figures have come to the fore, with a surprise statement issued in mid-September by exiled former members of parliament (MPs) and other activists which openly criticised current opposition members of the National Assembly.

Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah has been appointed to head Crown Prince Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s diwan.

The controversial but leading Kuwaiti royal Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah was found guilty in a fraud trial in Switzerland on 10 September; he was handed a 30-month jail sentence, half of it suspended. He continues to assert his innocence and has said he will appeal the verdict.

A series of scandals continue to influence the Kuwaiti political scene. Among recent developments, Ministry of Interior (MoI) undersecretary Lieutenant General Essam Al-Naham has been forced into retirement for his role in a visa trading scandal. His temporary replacement is assistant undersecretary of public security Lieutenant General Sheikh Faisal Nawaf Al-Ahmaed Al-Sabah.

There is growing speculation that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent, which would be the third change of senior government personnel since 2019. At least four portfolios are likely to change hands, including a new finance minister to take over from Khalifa Al-Hamadah, who tendered his resignation in August, apparently due to unhappiness at being marginalised in the selection of new board members at Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA). 

Kuwait has been at odds with the United States over some 5,000 refugees fleeing Afghanistan who passed through military bases in the emirate. The operation was approved by Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in “recognition of [Kuwait-US] strategic relations”, an official statement said.