KUWAIT CITY, Dec 16: MP Abdulkareem Al-Kandari has submitted a bill on amending National Assembly Law Number 112/1963 to allow the election of speaker, deputy speaker, secretary general and observer in public by calling the MPs’ names.

The bill amends Article 29 of the law and replaces the text of Article 35 to read as follows: “The speaker and members of the Assembly Office are elected in public by calling the MPs’ names and the winner is determined through absolute majority. In case the candidates obtain equal number of votes, the election is repeated and the winner is determined through relative majority. In case the candidates obtain the same number of votes in the second round of voting, the winner is determined through coin toss.

Meanwhile, MPs Hamad Al-Matar, Fayez Al-Jomhour, Abdulaziz Al-Saqaabi, Osama Al-Shaheen and Thamer Al- Suwait have submitted a proposal for general amnesty to those convicted of certain crimes.

The bill is based on Article 75 of the Constitution which states: “The Amir may, by decree, grant pardon or commute a sentence. However, general amnesty shall not be granted except by a law and then only in respect of offenses committed prior to the proposal of the amnesty.” MP Saadoun Hammad submitted a bill on allowing citizens to construct diwaniyas in the front yard of their houses provided the structure does not impede or disturb pedestrians.

In another development, Secretary General of the Assembly Allam Al-Kandari issued a statement on the procedures implemented during the election of the speaker. He explained the Secretariat General is an administrative body and it neither interferes in the voting process nor takes action on behalf of MPs. He said the Secretariat General distributes ballots to the MPs and ministers; affirming the ballots are sealed and handed over to the MPs and ministers only at the time of voting, not earlier.

He pointed out the Secretariat General has nothing to do with the voting photographs and footages posted by some MPs. He said the votes were counted under the supervision of two MPs, and that the election was conducted in a transparent manner in front of media cameras.

MP Osama Al-Menawer reacted to calls for the MPs to resign or submit a no-confidence motion against the government due to the latter’s position regarding the election of speaker. He argued this is inappropriate, pointing out that they may have lost one battle but not the war. He urged his colleagues to grant the demands of citizens as this is the only way to express gratitude for winning the public’s trust.

By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff