Constitutional Court replacement eyed

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 6: Although the Early Retirement Bill has been included in the agenda of the National Assembly for Tuesday’s session, the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee postponed submission of its report on the bill for another two weeks for further revision. The committee discussed the amendments submitted by MPs, but decided to postpone submission of its report as it needs more time to come up with a more comprehensive analysis of the bill.

Minister of Finance Naif Al-Hajraf, who attended the committee meeting, revealed that he presented the government’s opinion on the parliamentary amendments. He said the only thing left to do is to wait for the final vote of the committee. According to sources, the committee is ready to vote on the proposed two percent deduction if the government is willing to give up its position on the lifetime deduction. Nevertheless, the bill must be removed from the agenda for this Tuesday’s session.

Furthermore, due to the controversy on the recent Constitutional Court verdict, MP Thamer Al-Suwait and several other MPs submitted a proposal to establish the High Constitutional Court and abolish the Constitutional Court. Al-Suwait explained the proposal aims to fill gaps in the current law to ensure full cooperation between the court and the legislative authority, “especially since legislative initiatives always come with correctionalintentions and to bolster the justice system.”

The bill states that the High Constitutional Court will consist of seven members – five from the judiciary, one from the government and one from the Assembly. Al-Suwait pointed out the bill will address loopholes related to the functions and specialization of the court, which will be given full authority to serve its original purpose – examine the constitutionality of legislation and act as an extension for explanatory and interpretational purposes. He added the bill guarantees non-interference in parliamentary operations and practices in order to avoid complications and political tension between authorities.

By Ahmed Al-Naqeeb Arab Times Staff

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