KUWAIT — Kuwait's parliament on Tuesday unanimously approved a law that seeks to address the so-called demographic imbalance in the country. The new legislation sets in motion reforms to reduce its foreign residents who make up 70 percent of the total population. The legislation was passed after introducing amendments such as abolishing the previously proposed quota system for expatriates after the government objected to the system, Kuwait Times reported. The law requires the government to create mechanisms to cut the number of foreigners within the next 12 months. According to the report, the council of ministers will issue executive decisions regularly to implement the mechanisms and provide the parliament with annual reports on progress made. The mechanisms will take into account the number of expatriates present in Kuwait, the country's national development plan, and its requirement of foreign workers, the new law states. Guidelines concerning the transfer of residency for expatriates and policies to replace expatriates with Kuwaiti employees will also be issued. The new legislation comes after a strong campaign launched by several lawmakers calling for a drastic cut in the number of expatriates in the country. In June, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah had said that the ideal demographic makeup of the county would mean 70 percent of citizens and 30 percent expatriates.
