At stake in this election:

• 50 seats in the National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah
• Head of Government: Prime Minister NASIR MUHAMMAD al-Ahmad al-Sabah
• Assembly: Kuwait has a unicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma) with 65 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Amir is the hereditary head of state.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch.
• In the National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma), 50 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 15 members are designated ex officio to serve 4-year terms.***

*** Elected members come from five 10-seat districts. The electoral system is MNTV. Each voter may choose up to four candidates. The 10 highest vote-getters win seats in each district. Ex officio members are from the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the Prime Minister with the consent of the Amir.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Independent(s): Independents
  • Leader: N/A

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,881,243 (2009)
• Registered Voters: 384,790 (2009)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,248,461 (2009)

·         Is Kuwait a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Kuwait ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (2 September 1994) 

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 4 (following the 2009 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 48 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Kuwait a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Kuwait ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (22 August 2013)

·         Population with a disability: 432,186 (est.)