Hopes that Kuwait would get its economic development plan back on track after the February parliamentary elections have been erased by events of the past month.

Several cabinet ministers have resigned in recent weeks to avoid questioning, prompting the emir to suspend parliament in a bid to diffuse tensions. Since then, the country’s constitutional court has ruled that the elections were void and the previous assembly should be restored. The previous parliament was dissolved in December amid mounting corruption allegations.

It is a familiar story for Kuwait, which has seen repeated resignations and dissolutions in recent years. The political infighting has led to a stagnation in development, with much-needed infrastructure projects either scrapped or delayed.

Hopes were high that Kuwait had found a new determination to push ahead with schemes when tenders for several key projects emerged earlier this year. The motion to scrap the Al-Zour North power and water deal and subsequent descent into political chaos does not bode well for their success.

Something needs to break the cycle of political crises. The question is whether it will be the emir and his prime minister who will take matters into their own hands, or whether the people’s frustrations will boil over and force change upon the leadership.

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