Kuwait's constitutional court ruled on Wednesday that a parliamentary election held in February, which gave the opposition a majority, was void and decided to restore the previous assembly, state news agency KUNA reported.

The move comes amid an escalating row between the government and mainly Islamist lawmakers who have threatened to question senior ministers and stall economic planning in the major oil producer.

KUNA said the court ruled that "the decree calling for the National Assembly 2012 election is void, and (ordered) the return of the dissolved council".

Mohammed al-Dallal, head of the constitutional committee in the assembly said that lawmakers would abide by the ruling. "We respect the judiciary's decisions," he told journalists after the ruling came out.

Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, suspended parliament for a month this week.

The emir, who has the last say in politics, can take the emergency step under the Gulf state's constitution to allow time for talks and avert a deeper crisis that could lead to the dissolution of the elected assembly. – Reuters