Kuwait Islamists: From Institutionalized to Informal Opposition

Abstract

This article analyses the evolution of the Islamist political associations and groups, both Shiites and Sunnis since the independence of Kuwait in 1962 to the last legislative elections which was held in 2016. It tries to assess the roles which the Islamist groups played in a relatively open political environment established by the constitution and the popular support these groups obtained along with the interrupted electoral history in which the country witnessed. It also assesses the transformations which the Sunni Islamist groups suffered from the institutionalized opposition role they played until the Arab Spring events to the more informal opposition style since then. The article concludes by stating that this transformation negatively affected the popular support granted to the Islamists and hindered their influence in the policymaking process in Kuwait, losing the opportunity that the Arab Spring uprisings provided for them.