KUWAIT CITY, May 17: The First Instance Court adjourned until Thursday the deliberation on the petition of several former MPs to postpone the parliamentary election scheduled for June 6, 2023 until the Constitutional Court rules on the appeal to cancel its decision to nullify the 2022 Parliament. Earlier, the Constitutional Court set May 24 as the date for issuing its ruling on the appeal of six citizens, including some former MPs, to cancel the nullification of the 2022 Parliament. Lawyer for the petitioners, Attorney Husain Bu Arki, explained this is not an objection to the ruling of the Constitutional Court; as the latter’s decisions cannot be appealed. He added the petition is to cancel the nullification ruling.

On the other hand, Second Constituency candidate and former National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim has launched his electoral campaign. He promised to do everything in the interest of the citizens if he wins in the election regardless of his position in the Assembly. He then talked about the bills that were ratified in the last session he chaired on June 14, 2022; concurrently with the sit-in conducted by some lawmakers. He said that he, in coordination with the government, persuaded the MPs to attend the session in order to achieve quorum. He added the agenda for that session included the ratification of important bills for retirees like granting them KD3,000 incentive and amending the regular pension increment from KD30 every three years to KD20 annually. He stressed that the interest of citizens is his top priority, especially the retirees.

Announced
In another development, blogger Abdullah Fairouz announced on his Twitter account that he intends to sue Al- Ghanim for spreading false information. He said Al-Ghanim claimed that a member of Sabah Family – cousin of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah – interfered in the parliamentary election by inviting candidates and former MPs to Al-Khuwaisat Chalet, where he asked some of them to quit and others to run for the election in order to control the results. He gave 24 hours grace period for Al-Ghanim to hand over the pieces of evidence in his possession, if any, to the concerned officials at the Ministry of Interior; otherwise, he will file a case against Al-Ghanim. Meanwhile, two of the candidates who opted out of the electoral race disclosed that the reason is to unify the votes of their tribes by supporting a few number of candidates belonging to their tribes.

These candidates are Dr Badr Al-Shallal from the Fourth Constituency who withdrew in favor of Marzouq Al-Heit – both are Al-Mutairi Tribe members; while Jamaan Awad Al-Azmi withdrew in favor of his fellow Azmi Tribe member Fawaz Al-Azmi. In addition, member of the nullified 2022 legislature and First Constituency candidate Osama Al-Zaid has affirmed that the country’s financial position is very strong. He asserted this means that improvement of the citizens’ standard of living must be the top priority in the coming period. He said the citizens should enjoy the fortune of their country, because they are the owners of such wealth. He then emphasized the need for the next legislature to focus on supporting Kuwaiti families and improving their conditions, especially the retirees. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff