Kuwait · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Kuwait, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- The 1962 Constitution
- Partially suspended since May 2024 as to the Assembly and legislative process.
- Emiri decrees and decree-laws
- The operative legislative instrument during the current suspension.
- Civil Code 1980 and Commercial Code 1980
- Egyptian-model codifications.
- Sharia
- Governs personal status; separate codes apply for Sunni and Ja'fari Shia communities.
- Constitutional Court judgments
- Binding and published; the principal check on legislative validity.
The legislative process
Under the constitution as designed, bills passed by the National Assembly required Emiri sanction, and the Emir could return a bill for reconsideration which the Assembly could override by a two-thirds majority. With the Assembly dissolved and the relevant articles suspended since May 2024, legislation is made by Emiri decree on the proposal of the Council of Ministers and published in the Official Gazette (Kuwait Al-Youm).
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