Kuwaiti lawyer calls for ban on new expat drivers

A Kuwaiti lawyer reportedly filed a suit at the country’s Administrative Court yesterday demanding the “urgent suspension” of the issuance of all new driving licences for expats.

Kuwait Times cited lawyer Mohammad Al-Ansari as saying he filed the lawsuit on behalf of several Kuwaiti citizens because traffic in the country had reached an “unbearable phase”.

He said government ministries had failed to resolve congestion and demanded a halt to the issuance of new licences until regulation was introduced.

The court has not set a date for considering the case, which comes as the country’s population of foreign workers continues to dominate political debate.

Kuwaiti MPs have called for measures to reduce expat numbers in the country, where they make up an estimated 70 per cent of the 4.4 million population.

The research department at Kuwait’s Ministry of State for National Assembly Affairs issued a study on the issue last week that included recommendations to deport labourers and other measures, according to reports.

Read: Kuwait study calls for deporting of labourers, deadline for expat hiring

Obtaining a driving licence in Kuwait is already a strict process for foreigners with the majority required to hold a university degree, earn more than KD600 a month and to have lived the country at least two years to apply for a licence.

The court was also deemed unlikely to issue a suspension due to anti-discrimination laws.