Virus casts a shadow on Kuwait’s lavish campaign events
Lavish banquets served in opulent marquees are nowhere to be seen this election season in Kuwait, where the coronavirus pandemic has forced a ban on traditional overthe-top campaign events.
Lambs on spits, mountains of rice, and platters of sweets usually attract hordes of potential voters to campaign events in the Gulf state, which holds parliamentary elections on Saturday.
Kuwait’s election campaigns are lively — in normal years.
In elections past, Fahd Mohammed Al Moutairi used to organise feasts for half a dozen candidates, all aiming to impress voters with their generosity, in his restaurant Tayba, located north of the capital Kuwait City.
“We usually prepare grilled lamb and rice for dinners during the campaign that can run for up to two months. But the coronavirus blew it all away,” he said.
The loss of business is another blow to restaurateurs who suffered during months of lockdown to stem the spread of the virus in Kuwait, which has registered more than 142,000 infections and nearly 900 deaths.
We usually prepare grilled lamb and rice for dinners during the campaign that can run for up to two months. But the coronavirus blew it all away Fahd Mohammed Al Moutairi
A restaurateur
Campaign events can cost between 3,000 and 7,000 Kuwaiti dinars (about $10,000-23,000), and draw as many 2,000 guests in the country’s tribal regions, according to the Kuwaiti Federation of Restaurants.
Along with restaurants, companies that organise banquets under large tents, serving coffee and dates to voters, will be the big losers in this campaign, said the association’s director, Fahd Al Arbach.
“This period is usually the main driver of their business in normal times,” he said.
The weekend elections are the first since the new Emir, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, took office on September 29 following the death of Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
But with the opposition weakened in recent years, no major political shifts are expected. A few electoral banners dotted through the streets are the only reminder of the nation’s political calendar. Instead, this year’s campaign is mainly being fought on social networks and in the media.
Tweets, Snapchat videos, Instagram “lives” and electoral meetings via Zoom have taken the place of traditional campaigning, and candidates are pumping the money saved on catering into virtual campaigns. —