Kuwait Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: State of Kuwait

Type: nominal constitutional monarchy

Capital: Kuwait

Political subdivisions: 4 governorates (Kuwait City, Hawalh, Ahmadi, Johra), 25 voting constituencies

Legal system civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; constitution took effect in 1963; popularly elected 50-man National Assembly (the 15 cabinet members can also vote) reinstated in March 1981 after being suspended in 1976, judicial review of legislative acts not yet determined, has not accepted compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction

National holiday National Day, 25 February

Branches: Council of Ministers; legislature—National Assembly

Governmen t leader: Jabir al- Ahmad al-Jabir Al S ABAH, Amir (since December 1977)

Suffrage: adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendents (eligible voters, 8.3% of citizenry)

Elections: National Assembly elected in February 1985

Political parties and leaders, political par ties prohibited, some small clandestine groups are active

Communists: insignificant

Other political or pressure groups large (350,000) Palestinian community

Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IF AD. IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Kuwait on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Kuwait 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Kuwait 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.