Election commission law suspended
Govt issues new election law decree • Rehabilitated convicts can contest polls
KUWAIT: The government issued a decree law suspending the election commission law for seven months and reissued the old elections law in a bid to facilitate holding the snap polls within the next two months. The dissolved National Assembly had issued the election commission law to appoint an independent authority to oversee parliamentary elections as part of political reforms.
But the government said that it was not possible to appoint judges to lead the commission as required by the suspended law within a short time. As a result, it was not possible to implement the election commission law, and accordingly it was suspended until October 1, 2024.
In order to hold the snap polls within the stipulated two months of dissolving the National Assembly on February 15, the government issued a new elections law which is very similar to the law that was effective before the election commission law.
The law allows people who were convicted of serious crimes and crimes offending HH the Amir, but who were later rehabilitated, to run in the 2024 elections. This would allow some former prominent opposition members and some other politicians to contest the polls. But those who were convicted but were not rehabilitated will remain barred from
contesting the polls.
Under the new law, servicemen in the army and the police forces will remain barred from voting or contesting polls. Voters will continue to use their civil IDs to determine their residential addresses and electoral constituencies. The law states that voting during regular days will be from 8.00 am until 8.00 pm, and during the holy month of Ramadan from noon to midnight.