The former Speaker of the Kuwaiti Parliament, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, announced that he does not intend to run for the parliamentary elections scheduled for the end of this month, in a move consistent with the reform process, after the opposition demanded his departure.
Al-Ghanim announced - through the communication sites last night - that his decision not to run for the upcoming elections "takes into account the circumstances and requirements of each stage... leaving the upcoming events to reveal some hidden facts."
He said, "Not being a candidate is an interim decision, which will be followed by a return with a stronger impact, God willing. This interim decision does not mean at all that I am away from the political scene, nor do I abandon my national duty."
During the past few years, Al-Ghanim was criticized by opposition MPs who raised the slogan "the departure of the two presidents" as a basic demand for reform, in reference to Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, who has already resigned.
Under the hashtag "the departure of the two presidents is a popular demand that has been achieved," former MP Badr Al-Dahoum wrote a tweet in which he said, "God willing, the people will crush all his followers and allies at the polls soon, without regretting them."
As for the former MP, Faisal Al-Muslim, he called on the Kuwaiti people to work on not returning Al-Ghanim in the future or whoever inherits him in his policies, saying, "Praise be to God for his grace... and congratulations to the Kuwaiti people for what they did."
Al-Ghanim has held the presidency of successive parliaments since 2013, and the opposition has always accused him of being loyal to the government and holding him responsible for many of the problems that the country has suffered.
Reuters quoted political analyst Nasser Al-Abdali that Al-Ghanim left the scene because of his conviction that this period cannot be worked in, due to the fierceness of the conflict between the parties to the ruling family, as he put it.
In June, Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah announced the dissolution of the National Assembly (Parliament) and the call for new general elections, a move widely welcomed by the opposition.
In July, Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al-Sabah was appointed as the new prime minister, replacing outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled.
On August 2, an Emiri decree was issued to dissolve the National Assembly, then another decree was issued to hold elections to select members of the National Assembly on September 29, a step that completes the reform path promised by the Crown Prince.