Speaker Ghanem returns to chair National Assembly office meeting
MPs demand swift approval of election commission • Demographics laws a priority
KUWAIT: Speaker of the court-reinstated National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanem returned to the Assembly for the first time since last August, after the constitutional court scrapped last year’s election process and reinstated the previous Assembly. Ghanem chaired a meeting of the Assembly’s office, which was attended by most members but not by the opposition. No statement was issued following the meeting, and Ghanem did not speak to the press.
The constitutional court on Sunday in a shock ruling scrapped the results of the parliamentary elections held on Sept 29 last year, saying the Amiri decree that dissolved the previous Assembly was unconstitutional. The court also reinstated the previous National Assembly.
Meanwhile, 28 MPs from the reinstated Assembly submitted a motion in which they demanded swift approval of draft laws related to the election process, especially the establishment of a higher election commission. The motion called on all MPs to respect the verdict of the constitutional court and speeding up the process of approving a draft law to set up an independent higher election commission to oversee the entire election process and ensure no violations are committed.
The lawmakers also said they are ready to go back to the ballot boxes, but only after ensuring all conditions of transparency of the elections. The motion also gave the legislative and legal committee of the Assembly authority to complete all legislation related to the elections within one month. One of the signatories MP Ghannam Al-Jamhour, who lost his seat in the scrapped polls, charged that serious violations were committed during the elections. It was not immediately known when the reinstated Assembly will meet.
Also, several MPs of the restored parliament said proposed laws on the population structure will have priority as soon as the parliament reconvenes, adding the laws would have been in effect if the parliament had not been dissolved. They said the Assembly will resume its focus on the population structure, besides the budgets and financial projects, including foreign investment in Kuwait, the northern economic zone and Silk City.
The new foreigners’ residency law is ready, with discussions over limiting expats’ stay in Kuwait for only five years, excluding investors and those whose with rare specialties. The MPs said the law will be discussed further at the interior and defense committee. They said expats’ health insurance will also be on the agenda of the returning parliament, which will support the health ministry’s plans to ban expats from receiving treatment at government hospitals.