Diversity wins day in divisive poll
More Shias, new faces… 3 women
KUWAIT CITY, Dec 1: Kuwaitis voted on Saturday in a divisive parliamentary election held under new polling rules that triggered an opposition boycott of the ballot and mass protests.
Liberals, Shiites and conservatives won overwhelmingly, unlike the Sunni-Islamist and tribal affiliated elections earlier this year. Three women succeeded in garnering Parliament seats.
Shiites were the biggest gainers with around 15 seats, up from six in February 2012. The minority candidates won seats in all five constituencies, including all five of the Shiite National Islamic Alliance candidates.
At the time of going to press, the results were as follows with the trend showing that there will unlikely be any changes in the winners:
First Constituency
1. Kamel Mohammed AlAwadhi ................................5,757 2. Adnan Abdulsamad .....4,983 3. Faisal Al-Duwaisan ......4851 4. Yousef Al-Zalzalah......3,529 5. Masouma Al-Mubarak ..3,204 6. Abdulhameed Dashti ...2,725 7. Saleh Ashour ...............2,241 8. Nawaf S. Al-Fazie .......2,090 9. Khalid H. Al-Shatti .....1,901 10. Hussein A. Al-Qallaf.. 1,656
Second Constituency 1. Ali Fahad Al-Rashed ...3,044 2. Adnan Al-Mutawa .......2,598 3. Abdul-Rahman Al-Jeeran .......................................2,317 4. Bader Ghareeb Al-Bazali .......................................1,919 5. Adel Musaid Al-Khorafi.........................................1,834 6. Ahmed Hajji Larri ..................................................1,634 7. Khalaf Dumaithir ...................................................1,552 8. Khalil Ibrahim Al-Saleh .........................................1,485 9. Hamad Saif Al-Harshani ........................................1,043 10. Salah Abdullah Al-Atiki.......................................... 909
Third Constituency 1. Ali Al-Omair...........................................................5,758 2. Khalil Ali Abdullah ................................................3,903 3. Ahmed Al-Mulaifi- 2,988 4. Safaa Al-Hashim ....................................................2,676 5. Sadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi....................................2,180 6. Hisham Al-Baghli...................................................1,998 7. Abdullah Al-Mayouf ..............................................1,952 8. Nabeel Al-Fadhl .....................................................1,904 9. Yakoub Al-Sanei.....................................................1,408 10. Mohammed Nasser Al-Jabri.................................1,251
Fourth Constituency 1. Saad Ali Khanfour Al-Rashidi ...............................2,569 2. Askar Owaid Al-Anazi- 2,563 3. Saud Al-Hariji ........................................................2,126 4. Mubarak Al-Khreinj ...............................................1,832 5. Zikra Al-Rashidi.....................................................1,315 6. Mohammed Al-Rashidi ..........................................1,231 7. Khalid Al-Shulaimi ................................................1,226 8. Mubarak Al-Najada................................................1,139 9. Mubarak Bunaya Al-Oruf ......................................1,126 10. Mushari Al-Husseini ............................................1,109
Fifth Constituency 1. Faisal Mohammed Al-Kandari...............................3,572 2. Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Tameemi ..............................2,883 3. Nasser Abdul-Mohsen Al-Muri..............................1,657 4. Hani Hussein Shans ...............................................1,639 5. Essam Al-Dabous ...................................................1,374 6. Tahir Al-Failakawi........................................... ..........884 7. Hammad Al-Dausari............... ...................................871 8. Khalid Al-Adwa Al-Ajmi..........................................855 9. Saad Al-Bous.............................................................809 10. Nasser Abdullah Al-Shimiri ....................................523 A good number of old faces from previous Parliaments make up the 50-member house, but the majority of lawmakers are newly-elected. Women lawmakers won seats in the new Parliament, despite the low number of female registrants, unlike the previous Islamist-dominated election where no women candidates were able to succeed. Twenty-three women had contested in the elections of the annulled assembly
Voters from the estimated 422,569 eligible electorate, divided into five electoral constituencies, trickled into 100 polling stations from 8:00 am to 20:00 pm.
Turnout at the February 2012 elections was estimated at 60 percent, while in 2009 turnout was recorded at 58 percent.
Meanwhile, boycotting former lawmakers and members of the opposition Majority Bloc held symbolic voting rounds to express rejection of the elections and deemed the boycott campaign of elections a success. They estimated that the turnout was at 26.7 percent.
They claimed the government attempted to “play with the ballots” due to the lack of participation. Opposition activists estimated that the turn-out this election is the lowest in Kuwait’s history. “I expect that election participation will only be at 25 percent,” commented Mohammed Hayef earlier on Saturday.
“The blackout at the polling station in Sabah Al-Nasser during counting confirms that the government is heading to forgery after it was shocked with the voters turnout,” commented Musallam AlBarrak on Twitter.
Thousands participated in an opposition march on the Gulf Road on Friday calling for the boycott of the elections. The opposition, made of Islamists, trial nationalist and liberals, believe the onevote electoral system decree of urgency, which was issued by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Oct 20, is unconstitutional and favors a solely pro-government Parliament.
Kuwait has been unsettled by a series of almost non-stop political disputes between the legislative and executive authorities since 2006. The National Assembly has been dissolved five times, the fifth dissolution being the reinstated 2009 Parliament, and the Cabinet has stepped down seven times.
Prominent opposition figure and former MP Faisal Al-Mislem claimed on his Twitter account that three hours before the polls were due to close, turnout was around 17 percent.
Figures
A number of opposition figures also charged that some voters had been given two ballot papers in a bid to create the appearance of a higher turnout.
“The Kuwaiti people have succeeded in bringing down (this) election by not taking part,” opposition leader and former MP Mussallam Al-Barrak said on Twitter.
Former parliament speaker and opposition leader Ahmad Al-Saadun said Friday’s opposition march and the boycott had taken away “popular and political legitimacy” from the next parliament and government.
Waleed Al-Tabtabai, a former Islamist MP, said on Twitter that turnout would not exceed 15 percent. In February, about 65 percent of those eligible voted.
The Popular Committee for Boycotting Election warned the government against any attempt to manipulate the results and turnout, saying that it has closely monitored polling.
Information Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah played down the figures released by the opposition, telling state television the independent National Election Commission was the only authority to issue such information.
The minister also said an international observer team is in Kuwait to monitor the election along with local people.
Former Shiite MP and candidate Ahmad Lari accused the opposition of publishing “lies” in a bid to cover the fact that turnout was high.
Predominantly tribal constituencies led the way with the boycott, as voters appeared to heed the appeal by both their chiefs and the opposition to stay away from polling over the disputed electoral law.
More activity was seen in other districts, but the highest turnout was in districts populated by the Shiite minority, according to an AFP correspondent and witnesses.
Under previous elections, voters were able to pick up to a maximum of four candidates and this was reduced by the amendment to just one. Each of Kuwait’s five constituencies elects 10 lawmakers.
Analysts see little hope the election will bring political stability to Kuwait, which has been rocked by lingering disputes stalling development despite abundant petrodollars.
System
“The old system was unfair for people in some areas of Kuwait,” 28-year-old Dalal Al-Aboud said at a voting station in a suburb on the edge of Kuwait City.
“I think it will be better if we try this new method, then we judge if it is fair or not.”
The opposition tends to dominate voting in poorer districts furthest from the capital.
Near a polling station in the south of the country, where tribal candidates have polled strongly in the past, Ahmed AlAzemi said he would not vote because his tribe was boycotting.
“The Azemi family, we are against the election,” he said. “The new parliament will last only a month. A National Assembly without the opposition is useless.”
Around him older men sat drinking tea and arguing about the boycott. Asked who had voted, three of the 10 raised their hands, to shouts from the others.
“If the turnout is lower than 50 percent then you could say the boycott is successful,” said Ghanem Al-Najjar, professor of political science at Kuwait University.
University professor Alia Shuaib said women, who received the right to vote in 2005, were still finding it an uplifting experience to cast their ballots.
“I believe it is my duty as a woman and as a Kuwaiti national to vote,” she said.
“It is a pleasure to get up, dress, get my papers and vote. It is breathtaking,” the 45-year-old said.
“I believe every person should vote and put the right people in parliament. We want educated people, the best.”
There are 14 female candidates out of a total of 302. The last parliament contained no female MPs.
A senior cabinet member said on Saturday that partcipating in the National Assembly elections “is the first step for building a bright future for the State of Kuwait.”
Dr Rola Dashti, Minister of State for Planning and Development Affairs, told reporters after casting her vote that balloting is facing no obstacles “and we all have one ambition, mainly the continuation of efforts by Kuwaitis in bolstering the prosperity of this giving country ... and hence participating in these elections is the first step we should take in this direction.” Dashti, also Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs, said voters found it easy to cast their ballots, adding that all citizens, despite their political views, should work for the best interest of their country.
She said that the next stage requires stronger cooperation between the house and government to implement national development programs.
Governors of Al-Asima, Hawali and Al-Jahra on Saturday praised the smooth electoral process in the country.
Sheikh Ali Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Al-Asima Governor, said that the National Assembly (parliament) elections is “a good start in the road of development and reform.”
He expressed optimism towards the electoral process, praising the Kuwaiti people’s loyalty and determination in practicing democracy, and heeding His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s wishes.
Meanwhile, Hawali Governor, Lieutenant General Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Faris said participation in the parliamentary elections “is a national duty”, calling upon all citizens to cast ballot.
Inspection
He added in statements to KUNA during his inspection of polling stations, that the turnout was “excellent” expressing hopes for a successful democratic practice in the country.
A team of Transparency International at the Kuwait Transparency Society (KTC), paid inspection visits to some polling stations to ensure the smoothness of the voting process.
The team, which includes members from Oman, Lebanon and Jordan issues reports on the level of integrity of the electoral process and the improvement of its mechanism.
The Kuwaiti election laws enables civil society organizations to participate in the election’s monitoring process, as Kuwait Transparency Society appoints observers inside and outside polling stations.
His Highness the Amir took the ‘onevote’ decision after noticing that matters were not going in favor of the country’s interest, First Deputy Premier Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said Saturday.
“HH the Amir is responsible of the country and best to know how to maintain its stability,” Sheikh Ahmad AlHumoud, also Interior Minister, told reporters after visiting the polling station at Maan Bin Zaedah Middle School for boys in the second constituency for the December 2012 parliamentary elections.
On facilitations provided for the international team of the higher commission for elections’ transparency, Sheikh Ahmad said the existence of such team “supports” work of the interior ministry, pointing out that all previous reports by the commission had underlined “transparency and fairness” of the electoral process.
“Kuwait was, still and will continue to be a beacon in the Arab world when it comes to elections’ transparency and impartiality,” he stressed.
Democracy practiced by the Kuwaiti people is “deep-rooted”, Minister of Public Works Dr Fadhel Safar said Saturday after casting his vote in the December 2012 elections.
“The turnout is good and nothing is disturbing the course of the voting process,” Safar told KUNA, hoping for the future cooperation between the legislative and executive branches.
Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Jamal Al-Shehab, highlighted the importance of citizen participation in the National Assembly (parliament) elections.
Shehab said in statements during an inspection of the electoral process in Khaldiyah area (third constituency), “in regard to those against participating in elections; it’s a matter of one’s conscience, in addition to the fact that participation or lack of it is a freedom guaran- teed by the Constitution.” He stressed that the nation’s interest is a top priority; therefore all are responsible in taking part in this democratic practice.
Some 74 minor cases were treated on the spot, while two cases were transferred to hospital during the polling for the elections, the health ministry said Saturday.
“The ministry had set 64 mobile clinics, 45 for women and 19 for men, distributed all over the constituencies,” ministry undersecretary Dr. Khaled AlSahlawi told KUNA.
The ministry also provided 24 ambulances with two medical emergency teams onboard each, as well as setting the hotline (132) for assisting the elderly and people of special needs, Al-Sahlawi pointed out.
Furthermore, the medical emergency department at the ministry coordinated with hospitals and healthcare centers in all health zones to receive cases during the elections without the need of producing the Civil I. D, Al-Sahlawi said.
Whoever breached the ‘pre-election silence’ would be referred to concerned authorities, Information Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said Saturday.
“I hope we get a deterring ruling in this regard,” Sheikh Mohammad, also Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, told KUNA while touring the media center at Sayyed Mohammd Hussein AlMoussawi Middle School for Boys in Rumeithiya.
Clarifying misunderstanding about the ‘pre-election silence’, the Minister said the restriction was a cabinet resolution and not a law, adding that this is the second time the ban is being implemented.
Implemented in many democratic countries, the ban is on political campaigning prior to a presidential or general election in order to allow a period for voters to reflect on events before casting their votes. During this period, no active campaigning by the candidates was allowed.
Meanwhile, and in an interview with KTV, Sheikh Mohammad underlined the government’s commitment towards a transparent and fair electoral process. “Kuwait is the cradle of freedoms,” the Minister stressed.