KUWAIT CITY, March 10: Thirty-one citizens, including two women, filed their candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary election on Sunday — the seventh day of the registration period for candidates. This increases the total number of candidates for the election on April 4, 2024 to 194 including six women; all of whom are standing for election in the Third Constituency. The 31 candidates who registered on Sunday are as follows:

First Constituency: four men (Ibrahim Mohammad Al-Beloushi, Abdulrahman Khalawi Al-Shimali, Abdulrahman Mohammad Al-Ajmi and Meteb Ayed Al- Anzi)

Second Constituency: four men (Khalid Ayed Al-Anzi, Saud Khalid Al-Babtain, Hazzaa Metleq Al-Hadba and Walid Khalid Shehab)

Third Constituency: four men and two women (Jarrah Khalid Al-Fawzan, Khalid Ibrahim Al-Sallal, Abdulwahab Mohammad thanks Al-Babtain, Noora Jassem Al- Darweesh, Hani Hassan Husain and Huda Shaheen Al- Hamadi)

Fourth Constituency: 10 men (Ahmed Duha Al-Daihani, Bader Sayyar Al-Shemmari, Bader Nasser Al-Mejaweb, Thamer Metaieb Al-Abdali, Abdullah Ahmed Ashkanani, Ibaid Mohammad Al-Mutairi, Fawaz Awad Al- Sulaimani, Fawaz Mensher Al-Dhefairi, Mohammad Mubarak Al- Fajji and Musaed Mohammad Al-Mutairi)

Fifth Constituency: seven men (Ahmed Kamaluddeen Al-Sulaimi, Hamdan Salem Al- Azmi, Khalid Saree Al-Hajri, Khalid Abdullah Al-Mutairi, Ayedh Muhsen Al- Ajmi, Mubarak Fahd Al-Hajri and Meshabeb Hamlan Al- Sahli) The Election Affairs General Department in the Ministry of Interior will continue receiving the applications of candidates until the end of the 10-day registration period on March 13, 2024.

Meanwhile, Director of the Election Affairs General Department Brigadier Ahmed Al-Hajri announced that the department will receive the candidates from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm during the holy month of Ramadan. He added the relevant police stations will receive the candidates from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm to finalize the candidacy procedures. In a relevant development, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Al- Sabah visited the Election Affairs General Department recently to make sure the necessary measures are being taken.

He issued directives to ease procedures and provide assistance to the candidates during his visit. Furthermore, Former MP Khalid Ayed Al- Anzi, who filed his candidacy for the Second Constituency, disclosed that his top priorities include unifying the citizenship categories and authorizing the court to rule on citizenship cases. He considers the citizenship issue a safety valve for maintaining national security, while warning about the spread of racist speech on social media. He criticized the dismissal of some prosecutors, just because of their citizenship category. He added about 70 officers and non-ranking officers were excluded from the graduation ceremony for those who completed a training course for the same reason. He said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah is held responsible for this attitude. He argued the minister should bear political and constitutional responsibilities, since the Constitution does not discriminate among citizens according to the category of their citizenship.

Former MP and Third Constituency candidate Abdulwahab Al-Babtain stated that amending the Election and National Assembly laws will be his top priorities in case he wins in n the election. He emphasized the need for proportional representation to strengthen parliamentary team work and the national fabric. He said the Shiite, Sunni and tribal candidates can be on the same electoral list as long as they agree on the same work program. For the first time in the history of parliamentary elections in the country, a deaf and mute citizen — Ayedh Muhsen Al-Ajmi — is standing for election in the Fifth Constituency. Through a sign language interpreter, he stressed the need for representation of disabled citizens in the Assembly to fulfill their demands. He highlighted the directive of HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to fully support the disabled.

He disclosed that his priorities include the disabled, retirees and Bedouns. Former MP Hamdan Al-Azmi has emphasized the need for political stability and settlement of disputes rather than the issuance of legislation at the moment. He said there have been attempts to distort democracy through the accusations hurled at the Assembly. He stressed that having a Assembly is much better than losing it. Candidate Thamer Metaieb Al-Abdali asserted that since the beginning of democracy in Kuwait, there have been three problems: parties that do not believe in democracy, lack of a clear vision by successive governments and bad formation of governments. He called on HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al- Salem Al-Sabah to choose the ministers carefully and according to their capacity, not quota. He will focus on improving the citizens’ standard of living and solving the vital issues related to education, healthcare and housing welfare. Candidate Meshabeb Hamlan Al-Sahli said the housing issue and writing off the citizens’ loans will be his top

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff