Kuwait: Election of women to the National Assembly - timeline
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- May 2009. In elections to the National Assembly (the unicameral lesislature) four women are elected.
- March 2009. The amir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, dissolves the National Assembly to avoid having the prime minister questioned by legislators.
- January 2009. A new government is formed with the prime minister and many of his ministers retaining their posts.
- November 2008. The government resigns to avoid the questioning of the prime minister by three Islamist legislators.
- May 2008. Legislative elections return a National Assembly with an Islamist majority and small liberal and nationalist components. No women are elected to the new Assembly.
- July 2007. The minister of energy resigns when the National Assembly requests his impeachment over allegations that he had helped his cousin embezzle public money. The minister of communications resigns in solidarity.
- March 2007. The government resigns to avoid a vote of no confidence against the health minister in the National Assembly. The amir immediately reappoints the prime minister who appoints a new government.
- December 2006. Information minister Mohammed Nasir al-Sanusi resigns the day before he is due to be questioned by an Assembly member on "alleged anti-freedom measures, failure to co-operate with the parliament and inability to carry out his ministerial duties".
- June 2006. Elections to the National Assembly result in gains for reformist Islamists. Just over 10 per cent of candidates were women but none won a seat.
- May 2006. The amir dissolves the National Assembly and calls early elections to prevent the prime minister being questioned by Assembly members over proposed reforms of electoral law.
- April 2006. Kuwaiti women vote and run for office for the first time in a municipal bi-election.
- January 2006. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah becomes amir following the death of Sheikh Jabir Al-Ahmed al-Jabir al-Sabah. Crown Prince Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Salim al-Sabah had been proclaimed amir but abdicated after the National Assembly voted to remove him from the post on the grounds of ill-health.
- October 2005. The speaker of the new National Assembly calls on the government to seriously consider legalising political parties to replace the current system of informal groupings. The prime minister responds by stating that political parties remain banned by the constitution.
- June 2005. Kuwait swears in Ma'suma al-Mubarak as Minister of Planning and Minister of State for Administrative Development Affairs, the first female cabinet minister.
- May 2005. The National Assembly votes to extend equal political rights to women. The measure is opposed by Islamist and tribal Assembly members but passes by 35-23 with one abstention.
- May 2004. The Kuwaiti cabinet approves a draft law that would permit women to vote and stand for election to the National Assembly. The law requires parliamentary approval to become law, something not granted to similar legislation in 1999.
- March 2003. The US invasion of Iraq, codenamed Operation Iraqi Freedom, is launched.
- February 2002. A police officer is found guilty of killing the female journalist and women's rights campaigner Hidaya Sultan al-Salim. He stated that he carried out the killing because her magazine carried an article which insulted his tribe.
- March 2001. Hidaya Sultan al-Salim, a high-profile female journalist, women's rights campaigner, and proprietor of the weekly al-Majalis magazine is assassinated.
- January 2001. The Constitutional Court rejects a demand for female suffrage.
- November 1999. The National Assembly rejects the amir's decree giving women equal political rights from 2003.
- May 1999. The amir dissolves the National Assembly to pre-empt a no confidence vote. He also issues a decree allowing women to vote and stand for election from 2003. Approval of the decree in the National Assembly is necessary before it takes effect.
- March 1998. The cabinet resigns en masse to avoid a vote of no confidence. The prime minister is immediately reappointed and ordered to form a new government.
- September 1996. A sit-in is staged at the Kuwaiti Lawyers' Society by more than 300 women demanding the franchise.
- February 1992. Registration begins ahead of legislative elections. Only about 15 per cent of the population are eligible to vote and international observers will be banned from the polls.
- April 1991. The crown prince forms a new government without including any opposition figures or those involved in resistance to the Iraqi occupation. The amir promises to hold elections in 1992 and to consider enfranchising women and naturalised citizens.
- March 1991. The Kuwaiti ruling family returns from exile in Saudi Arabia after US-led forces defeat the Iraqi army and sign an interim ceasefire agreement.
- January 1991. Forces of the US-led coalition begin Operation Desert Storm with a campaign of air attacks against Iraqi military targets and power stations. Iraq responds with military incursions into Saudi Arabia.
- November 1990. The UN Security Council approves the use of force to end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.
- August 1990. Iraq invades Kuwait and rapidly occupies the country, drawing international condemnation. US, European, and various Arab and Asian troops are deployed to Saudi Arabia to pre-empt a possible Iraqi invasion.
- April 1983. A bill to enfranchise women is defeated by 27 votes to seven in the National Assembly, following a recommendation to reject the proposal by a government committee which referred to the measure as "an imported concept foreign to Kuwaiti society".
- February 1981. The amir decrees that legislative elections are to be held, ending the four year suspension of the National Assembly.
- April 1978. Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ascends to the position of amir upon the death of his uncle.
- October 1976. The amir dissolves the National Assembly and suspends press freedom in the face of deadlock between the legislative and executive branches and criticism of the government by the media.
- February 1975. Elections for the National Assembly return a younger chamber with a higher level of education than its predecessor. The crown prince is reappointed as prime minister.
- May 1968. The UK gives notice of the termination of its defence pact with Kuwait. From 1971 the UK will not be obliged to defend Kuwait if it is attacked.
- April 1967. The Soviet Union and Kuwait sign a cultural exchange agreement.
- June 1966. Shaikh Jabir al-Ahmed as-Sabah, the Prime Minister, is appointed crown prince by the amir. The National Assembly unanimously supports the appointment.
- December 1965. Sheikh Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah becomes amir of Kuwait on the death of his older brother Sheikh Abdullah al-Salem al-Sabah. The new amir had served as prime minister from 1963 until his succession.
- October 1963. Iraq recognises Kuwaiti independence.
- May 1963. Kuwait joins the United Nations.
- February 1963. The first National Assembly is elected under the newly adopted constitution. The hereditary ruler of Kuwait retains executive power and the right to appoint the prime minister. The franchise is restricted to literate males over 21 who are not serving in the armed forces or police.
- November 1962. The ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, appoints his brother as heir apparent in a move welcomed by the president of the Constituent Assembly.
- August 1962. A Constitutional Assembly is elected in the first poll ever held in Kuwait. The franchise is severely restricted with only Kuwaiti-born literate males over 21 eligible to vote.
- December 1961. Kuwait's application to join the UN is vetoed by the Soviet Union on the grounds that the country is "entirely dependent on Britain, politically speaking".
- October 1961. Kuwait signs an agreement with the Arab League for UK forces in the country to be replaced by forces from League members.
- July 1961. Iraq claims sovereignty over Kuwait. The UK and Saudi Arabia send troops to protect Kuwait and most Arab states express support for Kuwaiti independence.
- June 1961. Kuwait achieves full independence under an agreement ending its status as a UK protectorate.
- April 1961. Kuwait issues its own currency, the dinar, to replace the Indian rupee.
- January 1961. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded with Kuwait as a founder member.
- July 1952. The UK government rejects Persian territorial claims on Kuwait and reiterates that Kuwait is a UK protectorate.
- 1899. Kuwait leaves the Ottoman Empire to become a UK protectorate. Internal affairs are under local control while foreign affairs are the preserve of the UK.
- 1756. The al-Sabah family comes to power in Kuwait and exercises semi-autonomous rule over Kuwait.
