The government is expected to submit the petition against the electoral constituencies law today amid a political crisis and warning by opposition Islamist MP Faisal Al-Muslim that the country is passing through “one of the most difficult phases of its history”.

The controversial petition will ask the constitutional court to examine if the distribution of voters among the five constituencies and the voting system is in line with the constitution.

The law (especially the two elements) was passed by the National Assembly in 2006 following a political crisis that led to dissolving the National Assembly and holding fresh polls in which the opposition won.

The government measure was taken despite warning by the opposition MPs and youth groups that they would stage protest rallies to demand the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the activation of the constitutional monarchy concept and achieving the elected government.

It was not immediately known how long the constitutional court will take to issue its verdict on the issue and what the government will do after the ruling, but it is certain that the revived 2009 Assembly will not be dissolved until the ruling is issued.

Member of the 2012 scrapped National Assembly Riyadh Al-Adasani strongly criticized the government move, insisting it is unjustified and not based on true reasons.

He said that regarding the fair distribution of voters, the differences between districts in the five-constituency system is much better than the previous 25-constituency system. He said that the electoral constituency law was prepared in 2006 by the government legal department which has been asked to prepare the petition against the same law to the constitutional court.

MP Muslim warned that “Kuwait is passing through one of its most difficult phase in its history which requires honest and dedicated people to unify their ranks in defense of the will of the nation”.

In another development, several Islamist MPs yesterday called on the government to repatriate Sulaiman Bughaith and return to him his Kuwaiti citizenship after the United States removed his name from the list of terrorists. Bugaith was the spokesman for Al-Qaeda organization of Osama bin Laden more than 10 years ago. After the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, Kuwait withdrew his citizenship and since then has been living outside of Kuwait, believed to be Iran.

Islamist MP Mohammad Hayef said the government should review the decision of withdrawing Bughaith’s citizenship after the United States removed his name from the terrorists’ list and gave him a certificate that he is no longer wanted by Washington.

MP Jamaan Al-Harbash also demanded that Bughaith’s nationality should be given back to him and that he should be allowed to return to Kuwait after the US decision, adding that “we should not be Americans more than America itself”.