Kuwait sets unprecedented conditions for elections candidacy

Kuwaitis planning to run in the parliamentary elections must have a clean criminal and honour record and must not have been sentenced for insulting God, prophets or the country’s emir.

The other four conditions are the Kuwaiti citizenship that must not have been acquired through naturalisation, being at least 30 years old on the day of the elections, a good reading and writing knowledge of Arabic and being on the list of those eligible to cast ballots.

The absence of a criminal record for insulting God, the prophets or the emir condition was set for the first time.

Candidates for parliament seats will have 10 days starting October 19 to submit their applications. The deadline was set for October 28.

Under Kuwait’s rules, ministers, judges, public prosecution staff and investigation department staff are barred from running in the elections unless they have resigned from their posts

Defense and security staff cannot contest in the elections unless they present evidence that they had quit the forces.

According to Kuwaiti daily Al Anba, 483, 181 Kuwaitis will be eligible to cast their ballots on election day. However, Al Rai said that the voters would be around 440,00, including 230,000 women.

Those eligible to vote must be Kuwaiti nationals who are at least 21 years old on the day of the elections. Naturalised Kuwaitis cannot cast ballots unless at least 20 years have passed since they obtained Kuwaiti citizenship.

The election of the new parliament will be held on November 26, well within the two-month rule that follows the resignation or dissolution of the parliament.

The parliament was dissolved by a decree issued by the Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Sunday following an emergency meeting of the Kuwaiti cabinet.

The decree attributed the dissolving of the 50-member parliament to “the circumstances in the region ... and the security challenges.”

It was the ninth time that the parliament was dissolved ahead of its election term since parliamentary life started in Kuwait in 1962.

Al Anba said that the deadline as per the constitution for announcing the new government would be on December 12.

source : gulfnews