International Polity - Current Affairs for December, 2016

The United States struck back Thursday at Russia for hacking the presidential elections with punishments targeting Russia's spy agencies and diplomats. The US said Russia must bear costs for its actions.

Moscow called the Obama administration "losers" and threatened retaliation.

Sanctions were imposed against GRU and FSB, leading Russian intelligence agencies the US said were involved.

Hacking alledgdly involved GRU head, his three deputies, and two Russian nationals wanted by the FBI for cybercrimes.

Former attorney general Soli J. Sorabjee was on 26^th Dec 2016 re-elected as President of the India International Centre, a prestigious cultural institution.

He was appointed for a period of 5 years effective from Jan 1, 2017.

Board of directors unanimously elected him for the second consecutive term while recognising his services in attaining the IIC objectives.

Sorabjee has been working with IIC for two decades and surrendered cases in Delhi HC and SC to be part of this.

In 1971, he was appointed Senior Advocate of the SC of India.

He was appointed as AG of India in April 1998 and held the post till 2004.

He was honoured with Padma Vibhushan in 2002 for his defence of the freedom of expression and protection of human rights.

Born in March 1930 in Bombay, he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and Government Law College, Mumbai.

India International Centre

• Inaugurated in 1962.
• Launched by then Vice President S. Radhakrishnan.
• Aim is to promote amity between different communities of the world.
• Centre is called Triveni.
• It has three streams: intellectual, social and cultural.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu called the US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro to Israel for a special meeting over the UN’s resolution condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory.

Shapiro was summoned on 25 December 2016.

His summon came hours after 14 envoys of other United Nations Security Council (UNSC) member states were asked to appear before the Israel foreign ministry.

Shapiro was called in to discuss United States’ decision to abstain from voting, which eventually led to the adoption of the resolution.

Israel’s Prime Minister called the resolution shameful and rejected it out rightly. Apart from this,

Netanyahu has also instructed Israel’s ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal to return immediately to Israel for consultations in response to the newly passed resolution.

Netanyahu also added that Jerusalem will also be re-assessing its ties with the United States. He is hoping that the decision would be reversed once Trump takes over.

US decision to abstain is the work of the Obama administration.

About the UN resolution

• It demands a quick end to all Israeli settlement building activities on the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem.
• It was initially created by Egypt but was withdrawn later, as the country was unsure of its chances of passing, especially after US President-Elect Donald Trump asked the current US administration to veto it.
• However, it was re-introduced to the UNSC by member states namely Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Senegal on 23 December 2016.
• In spite of the intense efforts put in by Israeli Prime Minister and Donald Trump to ensure the United States blocks the resolution, the US abstained from voting.
• The resolution was eventually adopted with 14 out of 15 UNSC members voting in favour of it.
• This marks the first resolution that has been adopted by the UNSC on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1979.

Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani on 19th Dec 2016 launched the landmark Charter on Citizens’s Rights in Tehran.

Charter was unveiled to combat accusations of Western nations about ongoing human rights violations including brutal practices such as torture and violence against women and minorities, public executions and more.

The charter is aimed at limiting the power of State agencies through the citizen’s civil and political rights.

Charter guarantees a number of rights such as right to fair trial, freedom of speech and movement.

Charter provides for equality of law and non discrimination on the basis of religion and nationality.

All rights are provided in the post Islamic revolution constitution of 1979. But this marks the first time a clear list was provided by the authorities.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, these powerful institutions are in the hands of conservatives not answerable to the Iranian president.

Hardliners argue that the priority is to protect the revolution against dissenters and outside interference.

Hassan Rouhani: Know More

• 7th President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
• Assumed office on Aug 3, 2013.
• Member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts since 1999.
• Member of the Expediency Council since 1991.
• Member of the Supreme National Security Council since 1989.
• Listed among TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013.

United Nations Security Council on 19th Dec 2016 voted to deploy UN observers to Syrian city Aleppo for monitoring evacuations and reporting on the wellbeing of civilians.

The council unanimously adopted a French drafted resolution 2328 in 2016 marking the first show of unity amidst world powers on this issue.

This measure ensures that UN will be carrying out neutral monitoring and direct observation on evacuations from eastern Aleppo and other districts of the city.

The observers will take note of efforts to carry out evacuations of fighters and civilians from Aleppo.

Evacuations must be considered in consonance with international humanitarian principles and laws.

The observers will also ensure safe passage of civilians from eastern districts of Aleppo under the UN monitoring and coordination.

All parties have been called to ensure safe and immediate passage of the UN to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches people through the most direct route.

Secretary General must take steps to make arrangements to permit the observation by the UN of the well being of civilians.

Secretary General will report to the UNSC on the implementation of the resolution within 5 days of the resolution adoption.

Strikes in Aleppo

• Aleppo is the largest city in Syria.
• It saw major military confrontation between Syrian opposition in cooperation with Army of Conquest and the Syrian Armed Forces of the Syrian government.
• This is known as the Battle of Aleppo which began on 19th July 2012. It is part of the ongoing Syrian Civil War
• Syrian Armed forces of the Syrian government are supported by Hezbollah and Shiite militias and Russia.
• Army of Conquest includes Al Nusra Front, formerly the Al Qaeda branch of Syria.
• Large scale devastation of the battle has called combatants to name it the mother of battles or Syria’s Stalingrad.
• Battle caused catastrophic destruction to the Old City of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• This is one of the longest sieges in modern warfare.
• Battle has left 31,000 people dead.
• Overall war casualties estimated at 400,000.

Norway and China announced on 19th Dec 2016 regarding the resumption of diplomatic relations.

This is six years after Beijing froze ties with Oslo over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Chinese dissident.

The announcement means talks can now resume on a free trade pact between mineral-rich Norway and China, the world's second-biggest economy.

Diplomatic relations and the trade talks were frozen after the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2010 to human rights activist Liu Xiaobo.

He is imprisoned in his own country by authorities who consider him a “criminal."

During a visit to Beijing by Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende on Monday, the two nations issued a joint declaration announcing they were resuming ties.

The Norwegian government reiterated its commitment to the one-China policy.

According to the media, China had demanded an official apology but Norway's government repeatedly refused, insisting that the Nobel Committee was an independent body free to make its own choices.

Liu Xiaobo has been serving an 11-year sentence since 2009 for "subversion", after co-writing work calling for democracy in China.

Salmon exports to China, one of Norway's biggest export items, suffered as a result of the row, dealing a big blow to the industry.

International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde was on 19th Dec 2016 convicted for negligence over a massive state payout to a tycoon when she was French finance minister.

Though convicted, she was not given a sentence.

The 2007 decision by Lagarde to permit a dispute over flamboyant businessman Bernard Tapie's sale of the Adidas sports brand to Credit Lyonnais bank to be resolved by private arbitration panel was under scrutiny.

The 60-year-old former corporate lawyer is also accused of failing to challenge the 404-million-euro (USD 422 million) award that emerged from the arbitration.

The payout raised concerns given Tapie's overt support for Lagarde's then boss, ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, and it was subsequently cancelled by the courts.

Tapie had sold Adidas to Credit Lyonnais for the equivalent of 315.5 million euros in 1993.

The bank sold it on the following year for 701 million euros, prompting claims from Tapie that he had been cheated.

Another ex IMF head, Rodrigo Rato of Spain, is currently standing trial on charges of misusing funds when he was head of Spanish lender Bankia.

International Monetary Fund

• Abbreviation: IMF
• Formation: 27 December 1945
• Type: International financial institution
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States'
• Membership: 189 countries
• Official language: English
• Managing Director: Christine Lagarde
• Main organ: Board of governors
• Parent organisation: United Nations
• Website: www.imf.org

Donald Trump won 304 votes in the US electoral college to formally win the presidency.

The billionaire and real estate mogul will become America’s 45th president.

Mr Trump’s polarising victory in Nov and the Democrat Hillary Clinton’s winning the popular vote had created lobbying, but to no avail.

With several states still voting, Mr Trump had 304 votes and Mrs Clinton had 169. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency.

Texas put Mr Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Clinton lost 4 electors in Washington.

In Madison, WI, protesters shouted, cried and sang “Silent Night”. In Augusta, Maine, they held signs that said, “Don’t let Putin Pick Our President,” referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Electoral College

• Members: 538
• Numbers allocated to states based on how many reps it has in the House plus one for each senator.
• District of Columbia got three votes.
• It is home to the Congress.
• It has no vote in the Congress.

Britain is set to become the first country in the world to offer “three parent baby” fertility treatments after regulators signaled positively.
The technique uses DNA from two women and a man. It allows mothers who carry disease causing mutations in their mitochondrial genes to give birth to children who are rid of illness.

British lawmakers have voted in February to permit the treatment, which uses in-vitro fertilisation but clinics needed to obtain licenses from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

An expert panel has said the practice should be cautiously adapted to stop genetic diseases from being passed on to future generations.

Mitochondria is a structure in the cells which generates vital energy and contains its own set of genes called mDNA passed through the mother. Mitochondrial diseases cause symptoms ranging from poor vision to muscle wasting and diabetes.

Health officials estimate that around 125 babies are born with mutations in Britain each year.

The first baby conceived using mitochondrial donation was born in 2016 in Mexico where there are no rules on its use.

Britain was the first to officially authorise it.

Critics have warned that the move paves the way for designer babies.

The treatment involves the embryo receiving the usual nuclear DNA from the mother and the father as well as small amount of healthy mitochondrial DNA from a female donor.

British review panel recommended its clinical use in specific circumstances where inheritance of the disease is likely to lead to death or serious diseases and there are lack of acceptable alternatives.

The first woman could receive treatment at the research centre in Newcastle.

Pakistan and Russia held their first ever consultation in Islamabad on 14th Dec 2016.

A wide range of regional issues and areas of key mutual interest including connectivity and economic cooperation were discussed.

Two sides exchanged views on global and regional developments.

Next round will be convened in Moscow in 2017.

This marks a policy shift in Russia on account of growing Indo-US ties.

Pak-Russia ties

• Russian and Pakistani troops held first every joint military exercises in Sept 2016.
• The exercise was held in Cherat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
• Joint drill was named Friendship 2016.
• It signifies growing military cooperation between countries that remained rivals for decades.

Pakistan's decision to develop closer ties to Russia was taken after:


• 2011 killing of al-Qaida chief, Osama bin laden, in a secret military operation by US in Abbottabad, Killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers the 2011 in NATO airstrikes on a check post along the Durand Line.
• Defence deals for MI-35 choppers have been signed between the two nations.

Malaysia’s new king, a 47-year-old state sultan, ascended the throne on 13th Dec, becoming one of the youngest constitutional monarch in the Southeast Asian nation’s history.

Sultan Muhammad V took his oath of office in a nationally televised ceremony in Malaysia’s federal palace.

Under a unique system maintained since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957, nine hereditary state rulers take turns as the country’s king for five-year terms.

The monarch’s role is largely ceremonial, since administrative power is vested in the Prime Minister and Parliament.

He is highly regarded, particularly among the ethnic Malay Muslim majority, as the supreme upholder of Malay tradition and symbolic head of Islam.

European Union and Cuba signed a political accord on 12th Dec

It is hoped that the EU hopes will position its companies for Cuba's transition to a more open economy.

It will also allow it to press for political freedoms on the island.

EU lifted sanctions on the communist-ruled island in 2008, the so-called political dialogue and cooperation agreement is the first accord between Cuba and the 28-nation bloc.

Normalisation of relations has been tortuous partly because of resistance from the EU's eastern members due to their own communist past.

Havana’s arrest of dissidents in 2003 led the bloc to impose diplomatic sanctions, limiting contacts.

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was sworn in on 12th Dec as Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the ninth U.N. chief in the body’s 71-year history.

The former U.N. refugee chief was elected to the top job by acclamation in the General Assembly in October. He will take over duties from Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1.

After being sworn in by General Assembly President John William Ashe, Guterres addressed the 193 member nations.

The swearing-in came after the 193 General Assembly members paid tribute to Ban, ending with a standing ovation for the native South Korean.

Ban served two five-year terms.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni was chosen on 11th Dec to be the country’s next PM. He pledged to get to work on forming a new coalition with the same Democrat party led majority.

62-year-old Gentiloni was selected for the mandate at the Quirinal Presidential palace.

Ex- PM Matteo Renzi was the caretaker premier since he offered his resignation on Dec 7.

Renzi’s three-year-old government suffered a stinging defeat in a referendum on reforms.

The 5-Star movement and other opposition forces were interested in early election, but Italian President Sergio Matarella noted Renzi’s outgoing government still commands a majority in Parliament.

The president also noted there was wide political consensus for a rapid transformation of Italy’s electoral laws before Italians vote in the new election.

Gentolini emerged as a pick after three days of consultations.

Gentolini had also lobbied for an end to the fighting in Libya.

The 5-Star populists wanted to let Italians decide if they want to stay in the 19 nation shared euro currency; they want elections soon.

However, it is the president’s call to decide when to dissolve the Parliament and call for new election ahead of the spring 2018 date.

5-Star Movement

• Political party started by comedian Beppo Grille and web strategist Gianroberto Cassaleggio
• President: Beppo Grille
• Deputy President: Enrico Grillo
• Founded: Oct 4, 2009.
• Headquarters: Via Roccatagliata Ceccardi 1/14, Genoa
• Slogan: ”One is worth one"

Nana Afuko-Addo has won the Ghana national election, tapping into an electorate disappointed with a lack of economic growth and ready for a change.

The 72-year-old human rights law won 53.8 percent of the votes according to the country’s election agency.

President and candidate of Ghana’s ruling National Democratic Congress party John Mahama leaves after voting in the Bole district, northern region on Dec 7, 2016.

John Mahama conceded defeat after the race that saw the test of democracy in a region rife with dictators and coups.

The former British colony will now see the a change for four years after a slow economy, deteriorating currency and soaring inflation.

Mahama came to power beating Akufo-Addo in 2012.

About Ghana

• Officially Republic of Ghana.
• Sovereign unitary presidential constitutional democracy.
• Ghana means “warrior king” in the Soninke language.
• It is a member of NAM, AU, ECOWAS, G-24, Commonwealth of Nations
• Ghana has a parliamentary multiparty system.
• President: John Dramamni Mahama
• President elect: Nana Akufo-Addo
• Vice President: Kwesi Amissah-Arthur
• Capital: Accra
• Currency: Cedi

The South Korea president’s powers were suspended on 9^th Dec 2016 after the nation’s parliament voted to impeach her, as per her office.

PM Hwang Kyo-ahn took over as acting president and promised to ensure a stable government.

The South Korean president was voted to be impeached over a corruption scandal.

Country’s Constitutional Court will have up to 180 days to assess whether to formally end the Park presidency.

Park will be suspended but not removed during this time.

She will lose her power as the Commander in Chief of South Korea’s 630,000 strong military.

Park’s confidante Choi Soon-sil and the former presidential aid linked to the scandal have also been indicted.

Park has immunity from prosecution while in office and has refused to meet with prosecutors investigating the scandal.

About Park Guen-Hye

• South Korea’s first female president.
• She will be the second leader to face an impeachment vote.
• In 2004, lawmakers impeached President Roh Moo-Hyun on allegations of incompetence and election law violations.
• Park has apologised over the scandal thrice.
• Park’s father, Park Chung-hee ruled the country for 18 years till the 1979 assassination.
• Her mother was also assassinated in 1974.
• Choi’s father, Choi Tae-min was a cult leader who mentored Park.

Ex leader of the Greens, Alexander Van Der Bellen has won the Austrian presidential elections.

He gained more than 7.6 percent of the votes than his opponent, Norbert Hofer.

Green backed Van der Bellen and far right Freedom Party candidate Hofer were in the contest for Austrian presidential elections.

Alexander Van Der Bellen was declared the winner with 60.4 percent of the ballots as against 39.5 percent received by his rival.

Austrian Election Commission finished counting the votes and confirmed Alexander Van Der Bellen’s victory.

A total of 2,472,892 people (53.8 percent) voted for Van der Bellen, while 2,124,661 person (46.2 percent) voted for Hofer.

Austria

• Officially the Republic of Austria.
• Federal republic and landlocked country.
• Population: 8.7 million
• Location: Central Europe
• Territory: 83,879 square kilometres
• Highest point: 3798m
• Languages: Austrian German, Bavarian dialects of German.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected the country’s president in a presidential election held on Dec 4, 2016. PM and acting president Shavkat Mirziyoyev won the election as per the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan.

He won 88.61 percent of the votes, over the required 50 percent of the valid ballots to become president.

Other presidential candidates were:

• National Revival Democratic Party’s Sarwar Otamuratov, who scored 2.35%,
• Hotamzhon Ketmonov of the People's Democratic Party scored 3.73%.
• Justice Social Democratic Party’s Narimon Umarov scored 3.46% of the votes.

Know Shavkat Mirziyoyev


• Born: 24th July 2016
• PM since 2003.
• Appointed by Supreme Assembly as interim president of Uzbekistan on 8th Sept 2016. This is following the death of president Islam Karimov.
• Governor - 1996 - 2003.
• Nominated as PM by President Karimov on 12th Dec 2003.

Bernard Cazeneuve replaced Manual Valls as the country’s new PM. This is as per an announcement by French President Francois Hollande’s office.

He is currently French interior minister.

Valls is stepping down to seek Socialist Party’s nomination to be its presidential candidate in the 2017 election.

Francois Hollande will not be re-contesting for the post of President.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel won re-election as chairwoman of her Christian Democrats/ CDU party. She was elected with 89.5 percent of the votes. The votes were cast by under 1,000 part delegates.

Merkel is seeking the fourth term in office next year.

The endorsement was less than 96.7 percent Merkel garnered when re-elected two years ago.

Opening Germany’s doors to 1 million migrants also sapped the power and approval ratings of her party CDU.

Merkel’s lowest score in election as a chairwoman was 88.4 percent in 2004.

CDU is meeting in Essen.

Merkel was first elected party chairwoman in 2000.

About CDU

• CDU stands for Christian Democratic Union/ Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
• Chairwoman: Angela Merkel (Chancellor)
• Vice Chairpeople: Volker Bouffier, Ursula von der Leyen, Julia Klöckner, Armin Laschet, Thomas Strobl
• Secretary General: Peter Tauber
• Founded: June 26, 1945; 71 years ago
• Headquarters: Berlin

Venezuela on 2 December 2016 was removed from the South America’s trade group Mercosur.

This was following country’s failure to comply with the pact’s democratic principles and trade bylaws.

The oil-rich country had been stripped of membership rights immediately and that it will be required to renegotiate its membership.

Government of Venezuela stated that it is being unfairly targeted by right-wing regional leaders and that it complies with bylaws.

In 2013, Paraguay has objected to Venezuela's inclusion in the trading bloc.

In August 2016, the presidents of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay met to discuss suspending Venezuela from the trade group.

On 21 November 2016, Eladio Loizaga, Foreign Minister of Paraguay, announced that Venezuela would be suspended in December 2016.

What is Mercosur?

• Sub regional trading block with the purpose of free trade.
• Full members: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
• Associate Countries: Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname.
• Observer countries are New Zealand and Mexico.
• Official languages: Spanish, Portuguese and Guarani.
• Motto: “Our North is the South"

Ukraine began its two day military drill over the Black Sea on Dec 1, 2015 placing Russia in combat mode. The drill involves testing surface-to-air missiles. This marks the first ever missile test drill for Ukraine.

What has escalated tensions with Russia is that Ukraine’s testing location is really close to the Russian controlled Crimea.

The drill was conducted in Kherson region on the coast of the Black Sea. It involved S-300 medium range missiles. In total, 16 missiles were launched and all of them reached their targets. The missiles came within 18 miles of the Crimean airspace.

The main purpose of the drill is to build Ukraine air defence.

Russia sent several letters to Kiev, calling the drills a violation of international law and sovereignty of Russia.

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has held that the tests are in accordance with international law.

Russia positioned warships off Crimea’s western coastline and threatened to shoot down any missile that enters the Crimean airspace.

About Crimea

• Crimea was formerly a part of Ukraine.
• In 2014, Russia annexed the Supreme Council of Crimea and other important places.
• This led to the installation of a pro Russian government in Crimea.
• A referendum in March 2014 saw a majority of Crimean voters favour separation from Ukraine and choose to remain with the Russian Federation.
• UN called the referendum invalid and passed a resolution asking international organisations and States not to recognise Russian annexation of Crimea.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin defends the move and opposed the annexation tag.

UNSC on 30th Nov 2016 voted to tighten sanctions on North Korea.This was after North Korea carried out the country’s fifth and largest nuclear test.

Council unanimously approved the sanctions resolution following months of diplomatic arguments over how to respond to N. Korea’s nuclear test.

North Korea conducted this nuclear test in Sept 2016.

DPRK/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The fresh sanctions target the country’s hard currency revenue by placing a cap on coal exports, cutting them by at least 62 percent.

The sanction will cut down USD 800 million per year the hard currency that they country has to fund its prohibited weapons programs.

The prohibited weapons programs constitute a full 25 percent of North Korea’s entire export revenues.

Sanctions will also ban the country’s exports of non-ferrous metals and sanction 11 government officials as well as 10 entities linked to the country’s nuclear weapons program.

They also include an array of other measures for cracking down on DPRK’s access to the international banking system and on its export.

North Korea

• Official Name: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
• Location: East Asia, in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.
• Pyongyang is its capital and its largest city.
• Bordering nations: China, South Korea
• Official language: Korean
• Official script: Choson'gul
• Government: Totalitarian
• Supreme Leader/ Chairman of the Assembly Presidium: Kim Jong-un

Late Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s ashes were taken on 30th Nov to a symbolic reunion with fallen comrade in arms Ernesto Che Guevara .

This marks the first stop in the journey of the ashes across Cuba

The flag covered urn was placed in a mausoleum and museum dedicated to Guevara

The urban will be placed next to 19th century independence hero Jose Marti in the eastern city of Santiago in Cuba eventually

Cubans are observing 9 days of mourning for Casto following his death.

Casto ruled from 1959 till 2006, handing power over to brother Raul.

About Che Guevara

• Full Name: Ernesto Guevara
• Moniker: Che
• He met Castro in 1955 while in exile in Mexico.
• He was a doctor by profession.
• He won the crucial battle for Cuba’s freedom in 1958 in Santa Clara.
• He was given high ranking positions in the government.
• Guevara left in 1966 to lead a guerrilla expedition in Bolivia.
• He was executed on Oct 9, 1967 at La Higuera.
• His remains were taken back to Santa Clara three decades later.
• Santa Clara is also home to a museum dedicated to the revolutionary icon.

U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi was re-elected to her post on 30th Nov despite a challenge from a Rust Belt congressman.

The opponents said the party needed new leadership after a disappointing showing in elections this month.

Ms. Pelosi (76), a Californian who has been in Congress for 30 years and led the party in the House for 14 of them.

She defeated Tim Ryan (43), a seven-term representative from the Youngstown area of northeastern Ohio in a 134-63 vote

Mr. Ryan said the Democrats have only been in the majority in the House of Representatives for four of the past 18 years.

Parliament of Thailand on 29th Nov 2016 invited Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to be the new king of the nation, following the death of his father Bhumibol Adulyadej in Oct 2016.

Prince will have to accept the parliamentary invitation to be proclaimed king.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is the only son of Queen Sirikit and King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

He was made crown prince at age 20. He graduated from Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra, Australia.

He took part in military ops against Communist Party of Thailand during the 1970s and is a qualified military and chopper pilot.

About Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn

• Born : July 28, 1952.
• He will be the 10th Thai King.
• He belongs to the 234 year old Chakri Dynasty.
• He will be known as King Rama X.
• He can only be crowned after the royal cremation of his father in 2017.
• General Prem Tinsulanonda, the president of the Privy Council, will serve as regent till then.

The Opposition won the near majority in Kuwait’s early election by claiming 24 out of 50 seats.

Candidates that have won from the Opposition’s side belong to the Islamist groups reportedly have association with Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists.

Snap polls were called by Emir Sabeh al Ahmad al Sabah over the economic policy gridlock. This is the 4th election since 2012.

The previous ones were boycotted by the opposition parties in protest against the voting system in place by the Emir.

Shia minority have been reduced to 6 seats from 9 in the previous assembly.

Safa Al Hasshem is the only woman to have won a seat in the new assembly. There were 15 other women candidates in the running, all of whom lost subsequently. This is Safa’s third parliamentary victory.

One-third of the new Parliament is filled with newer and younger members.

More than 1/2 the members of the outgoing parliament failed to grab the seat in the new assembly.

Elections saw the highest ever voter turnout at close to 70 percent. Results increase the chance of political conflict in the state

Kuwait is the only Gulf State that gives elected parliament powers to hold ministers accountable.

Know Kuwait

• Arab country located in the Persian Arabian gulf
• It is known for its modern architecture
• Capital: Kuwait City
• Currency: Kuwaiti dinar
• Population: 3.369 million (as per World Bank 2013 estimate)
• Official languages: Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic