Parliament in Kuwait Elects Its 1986 Leader

The first postwar Parliament convened Tuesday and elected as its Speaker the man who held the post when the last Parliament was dissolved in 1986 for being too critical of the government.

Ahmed Saadoun, 58, won 46 votes against 13 for his only opponent, Abdul Aziz Adassani, an independent. Crown Prince Saad al Abdullah al Sabah, who also is prime minister, abstained.

The emir, Sheik Jabbar al Ahmed al Sabah, who dissolved the Parliament six years ago, called on deputies and ministers to join forces to rebuild and defend Kuwait.

“Cooperation between the legislative and executive authorities is not only a demand, it is a duty,” Sheik Jabbar said at the session.

Elections held early this month brought an unprecedented majority of 35 opposition deputies to the 50-seat house. Six opposition deputies named to the Cabinet also constitute the largest number of Parliament members ever included in the government, which has 16 ministers.

After the Gulf War ended seven months of Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in February, 1991, the emir promised his people democratic reforms that included an elected Parliament. But the opposition complained that the key portfolios in the new Cabinet including defense, interior and foreign affairs, remained in the hands of the Sabah family, which has ruled Kuwait for 250 years.