Voter registration requests to exceed 70,000

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 2: With the deadline for registration fast approaching, 55 mayoral offices in the country are preparing to receive voter’s registration, transfer and omission requests, amid expectations that these requests will exceed 70,000 in all electoral constituencies, reports Aljarida daily.

According to informed sources, these expectations are attributed to the fact that the electoral registration process did not take place last year due to the parliamentary by-elections that took place in the second and third constituencies following the announcement of the dismissal of Jama’an Al-Harbash and Waleed Al-Tabtabaei’s parliamentary membership.

The sources explained that the number of applicants at that time was close to 25 thousand, a figure which is expected to recur this year, bringing the total of those wishing to be registered, transferred and omitted (from the registry) to approximately 70 thousand. The registration will end on February 29, after which the application requests for complaints and transfer requests will be determined from March 1 to March 20..

They said, “Usually, such requests are submitted when the registration precedes the registration of the legislative elections. This year will witness the election at the end of next November, if the current National Assembly completes its four-year term”.

Currently, the number of those who are eligible to vote exceeds 536,000 men and women voters, most of whom are women. The number is expected exceed 570 thousand after launching the registration and transfer process.

The government is keen on taking the necessary procedures to prevent irregularities in the registration of new voters and change in address among existing voters in a bid to ensure the integrity of the electoral process and in line with the decision to open the door for registration of new voters and address change starting from Sunday, reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources.

Explained

Speaking to the daily, sources explained that changing the address is allowed in line with the law on the establishment of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) provided the residence transfer is real. If proven the transfer did not take place as declared, the perpetrator will be punished like those who forged official documents, sources warned.

Sources confirmed that as part of ongoing efforts to combat corruption, the government is keen on preventing anomalies in the transfer of voters from one constituency to another. Sources disclosed the supervisory authorities such as the Ministry of

Interior and others will verify the residence transfer of voters until Feb 29, before officially endorsing the voters’ registration file.

Meanwhile,the Public Utilities Committee in the presence of the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and representatives of the ministries of Finance, Commerce, Social Affairs and Information, in addition to the President of the Kuwait Farmers Union, is examining the mandate given by the National Assembly to investigate the causes of Kuwaiti vegetable product losses, reports Al-Anba daily.

A parliamentary source told the daily the losses suffered by the national product are very large, resulting in the reluctance to continue production and leaving the market because of the large financial losses incurred by farmers, which have affected the national food security and high prices of agricultural crops for consumers, something that should not be tolerated.

The source indicated that the committee will examine the reasons leading to this decline, and propose the necessary solutions to include them in a report to the National Assembly to approve the recommendations that will be binding on the government.

He stressed the need to address any defect in the issue of support or sales outlets or the control of some on the markets, stressing again that the issue will not be left in this situation